Keep Her Safe
by LadyPrin
Summary: Princess Serenity has been born, but Queen Baryl wants her dead. So Queen Serenity sends her daughter to live with the governing royals of England. But Baryl is looking for her. What can they do, to keep her safe?
1. Chapter 1

Keep Her Safe

LadyPrin

(Author's Note: I spell checked it. Hope I got them all!)

Disclaimer applies.

Ikoku Tuskino, Queen of England walked slowly down the concrete pathway leading through her garden to her gazebo which was shrouded in the middle of the garden.

As she walked, head bowed, she breathed in the smell of the lily's, and and other flowers that lined the pathway. As she passed the babysbreath flowers, she had to fight hard to not start crying.

She entered the gazebo and sat down on the bench to the right of the doorway.

The slight breeze that flew through the garden made the rose bush just outside the wall bend in through the window of the gazebo. Like it knew she was in pain, and wanted to comfort her.

She had just learned that she couldn't have children. That her body would not allow her to carry her own child. There was always adoption, but it just wouldn't be the same. Her husband Kenji and her and always wanted a child of their own. But now that will never happen.

She sniffed gently, as a single tear fell down her cheek.

A gloved white hand caught it in midair halfway between her chin and her lap where her hands lay folded.

She watched as the gloved hand receded.

She looked up to find a women standing in the middle of the gazebo. She had black hair falling to her knees, that looked green in the sunlight that filtered through the lattice roof. She wore a black mini-skirt, with a white short sleeved shirt connected to it. In the middle of her chest was a dark red bow. And she wore long green boots. In her hand she held a long staff, that looked like an upside down key, with a red orb sitting on the top of it, circled by a heart shaped metal, with another little heart on top of it.

She bowed her head in a sign of respect to Ikoku.

"Who are you?" Ikoku asked in a little more than a whisper.

"My name is Sailor Pluto." The women said.

Sailor Pluto. Queen of the planet Pluto, and one of the Protectors of Queen Serenity of the Moon.

"I come on behalf of my Lady."

Which could only mean Queen Serenity.

"My Lady requests an audience with your Majesty."

When the Queen of the Moon requested an audience with someone of Earth, no one refused.

"Of course." Ikoku replied.

She rose regally from her seat, and Pluto took her right hand.

In a flash of white light, they had left the comfort of the garden and were now in the throne room of the Silver Palace of the Moon.

Sitting in the throne was Queen Serenity.

She had long lavender colored hair, put up in buns on the the sides of her head. The streamers behind them flowed over the arms of her chair to fall into little pools on the floor. She wore a white sleeveless gown that clung gently to her curves in a slim dress. There was a big white bow on her chest, and she had silvery wings on her back. Upon closer look, Ikoku saw that they were for show, not use.

Ikoku took a quick glance around and saw Kenji a few feet away.

"Kenji!" She called to him.

Kenji saw her and made his way across the deserted floor to her side.

Together they looked around.

They saw the other Sailors of the Universe standing in a wide circle around them.

They looked back at Queen Serenity. Waiting for her to speak first.

"I have asked you here, for a very important reason." She started. "I know you want a child, but can't have one of your own. I can't give you one of your flesh and blood, but I can give you a child to call yours."

She nodded to one of the Sailors.

Sailor Uranus, Queen of the planet Uranus, came forth, and presented Ikoku with a baby girl, wrapped in a blue blanket.

Ikoku took her gently into her arms. Staring at her in shock.

"I give you my daughter, Princess Serenity." The Queen said.

"Why?" Kenji asked.

"There are those who would have her dead." The Queen replied. "Should I hide her on one of the other planets, the enemy would surely find her. I can't keep her here. Earth is the only safe place for her."

"But why not give her to the King and Queen of the planet Earth? Not to one of the governing royals. Surely they could keep her safe better?" Ikoku asked.

"No. Should the enemy realize she is not on one of the other planets, the King and Queen of the planet Earth would be the logical choice for them to look first. I've done my homework and you and your husband are the most inconspicuous governing royals on the Earth. If you consent to it, my daughter will stay with you. Hear me clearly, you do not have to take her."

Ikoku and Kenji looked at each other for a long minute.

"Take her, we will." Ikoku said.

Everybody in the room let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much." The Queen said. "You will not be alone in protecting her. For now, Queen Uranus and Queen Neptune will go with you. They will be maids that will help with the child. When the Princess turns three, she will have new Protectors, of her own age. That way, they will be able to get to know her, and thus protect her better. Their mothers, the Queen's of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars will take monthly reports from them. When the Princess turns fourteen, I will come to her and tell her everything. She will be able then to protect herself somewhat. I wish for you to name her Serena."

Queen Serenity rose from her throne and walked down the steps to stand in front of Ikoku.

"One last thing." She whispered.

On the sleeping baby's forehead was a crescent moon laying on its side. Glowing gold slightly.

Queen Serenity leaned forward and kissed the baby lightly on the forehead. The crescent moon disappeared.

The other Queens called Serenity's name in protest, but she silenced them with a raised hand.

Then she spoke these words.

"I take thy birthright from thee, Princess Serenity. 'Till I see safe to give it back." She said for all to hear.

Everyone was in shock.

Queen Serenity stepped back and nodded at Pluto.

Pluto used her staff and Ikoku and Kenji, along with their new child, disappeared.

When they had gone, Queen Uranus stepped forward.

"Why did you take her birthright from her? That was not necessary!" She cried.

"If she had kept her birthright, she would've been connected to the Impearium Silver Crystal. Thus eventually she would've used it's magic. Whether knowingly or not. Then all our efforts would've been futile. It was necessary." Queen Serenity said, not looking at Uranus.

Everyone became silent. They knew Queen Serenity spoke the truth.

Queen Serenity walked toward the door.

She stopped and leaned against the door frame. She was aware that all eyes were on her. But she didn't care.

She started to cry as she whispered three words.

"Forgive me, Serena."

Back in the gazebo in the garden, Ikoku stared at Kenji who stared right back.

Then they sighed in acceptance.

They looked down at their new baby girl, Serena, and they smiled in contentment.

We see baby Serena's sleeping face, and we hear Queen Serenity's voice.

"Forgive me."


	2. Chapter 2

Keep Her Safe

By LadyPrin (Author's Note: I spell checked it. Hope I got all of it!)

Disclaimer applies.

Recap:

We see baby Serena's sleeping face, and we hear Queen Serenity's voice.

"Forgive me."

Chapter Two

Three years later.

"Ami, what do you think about this Princess we're going to be guarding soon?" Lita, daughter of the Queen of Jupiter asked her friend Ami, daughter of the Queen of Mercury.

Brown haired Lita, and blue haired Ami, were three years old, but they already could talk, walk, run, and fight. In less then four hours, they were going to be meeting their Princess. The Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Then they would begin the job of protecting her.

"I think I might like this Princess." Ami replied.

She was sitting on the grass with a text book in her lap. She used her index finger to push her glasses back up her nose.

"I haven't heard much, and I can't find anything about her in any book, but I think we might be great friends." She continued.

"But what if she's a brat?" Lita asked, pacing up and down, wearing a smooth path in the grass. "What if those Earth beings have totally warped her brain?"

"Lita, you and I both know, brains cannot be warped." Ami told Lita in her lecture voice.

"Yeah, yeah, you've told me." Lita said rolling her eyes.

"Besides, even if she is a, brat, Rei and Mina will be there." Ami comforted her.

Rei was the daughter of the Queen of Mars, and Mina was the daughter of the Queen of Venus.

"Yeah." Lita said thoughtfully.

"Hey!" She suddenly cried. "If she's not a brat, then we can play Rainbow Stars! There'll be five of us! That's just the right amount!"

"Lita," Ami said warningly. "Haven't you been listening to your mother? We can't use our powers except as a last resort. If we use our powers, even a little bit, while in the presence of the Princess, the evil Queen will know."

"Oh, right." Lita said.

"And we can't say the Princesses real name either. If we do, not only will the Queen of the Moon hear, but the enemy will hear also." Ami continued.

"Bummer." Lita said depleted.

She sat down heavily in the grass, right in the middle of the strip of dirt she had made with her pacing.

"Maybe, the Princess will teach us some Earth games." Ami said, trying to cheer her up. "And you could teach her to fight."

Lita perked up.

"Yeah, maybe. Hey wanna' see my new techniques?" Lita asked jumping up. "My mom has been teaching me how they fight on Earth. It's called Karate. I'm pretty good at it!"

"Sure!" Ami said.

Lita ran to a nearby tree. The planet they were on being Jupiter, the trees were alive in such a way that they could communicate.

"Wanna' play Karate?" Lita asked it.

The trees branches swung up and down in response, though no wind blew. It's answer was yes.

Lita bowed and the branches repeated her movement.

Then without warning the branches shot out at Lita. Had they hit her, it would've thrown her through the air like a rag doll. But instead, Lita jumped and twirled through the air, amazingly avoiding all the branches. Before she fell back to the ground, she grabbed a hold of one of the branches and swung around a bunch of other branches, tying them together.

Ami watched all this in awe. Her mouth was opened so wide that her glasses were sliding down her nose. She used her hands and slid them back up quickly, and held them in place as she continued to watch Lita.

Then she used her arms and blocked all the blows aimed at her. Then she ran away from the tree a few yards and ran back at it, dodging branches as she went. At the last second she jumped and kicked the middle of the tree trunk with all of her strength. Her being three years old, meant that it shouldn't have been much. Her being from Jupiter, meant that her strength was ten times the amount it would've been otherwise.

The tree wiped back.

When it settled back down, it bowed to Lita again. Only this time to show that she had won.

Lita bowed to the tree too.

As Lita went to hug the tree, Ami clapped and cheered.

"I bet the Princess doesn't know how to do that!" She cried.

Lita was smiling.

But as she untied the tree's branches, she frowned.

"Ami, please stop whistling?" Lita asked. "You're very bad at it."

"Lita, you and I both know, that I can't whistle." Ami said.

"Then what's that sound?" Lita asked.

Then without warning, the tree wrapped its branches around the girls and pulled them into the air. Way over the top of its head, so close to the ground on its other side that Lita's nose nearly touched it. Then it whipped them up and threw them (screaming) out into the air.

Just as a raging fireball came down upon the tree and blew it into oblivion.

"NOOOOOO!" Lita cried out, as they fell toward the ground.

They fell above a grove of trees, who entwined their branches together and caught the two girls as they fell.

Then they gently sat them down (unharmed) on the side of the grove that was nearest the city.

Ami went straight to Lita's side.

Lita didn't cry often, but when she did, it was like a waterfall.

"Lita, I know that tree was your friend, and has been since you were born. But that was a fireball. We have to find our mothers! Jupiter is under attack."

Lita looked at her blankly for a minute.

"You can kick whoever did this into the next millennium." Ami suggested.

That stopped her crying. A steely look came into her eyes, along with determination.

"Let's go!" She cried as she jumped up and ran toward the city, with Ami right behind her.

When they found their mothers, the Queen's of Jupiter and Mercury were just finishing off two snakelike humanoid beings with lobster like claws.

"There you are!" They cried when they saw their daughters.

"Come, we have to get you out of here." Queen Mercury said as she and Jupiter took the children's hands.

They lead them through the battle to travel pods. At the moment they were going to be used as escape pods.

Jupiter put Lita in one, Mercury put Ami in another.

"But mom, I wanna' help fight!" Lita cried.

"No, my dear. You must go to Earth and find the Princess. Her name their is Serena and she's the Princess of England. Tell Queen Ikoku or King Kenji that we sent you. Do NOT say the Princess's real name. But tell them of the birthmark on her right shoulder."

Jupiter strapped Lita in.

"Don't worry. Mommy's going to kick some yoma butt for what they did to Morna the tree." She added.

"Thank you!" Lita whispered.

Meanwhile, Ami was receiving some advice of her own.

"These were programmed to land in an isolated place in England, near the palace. Find the Princess and protect her. Use your brains and your heart. And remember. Queen Baryl works with illusions, she deals with lies. Trust her and your death is certain. Trust only your instinct and your heart." Mercury said as she strapped Ami in.

"I love you dear." She said with a kiss to Ami's forehead.

"You will win right?" Ami asked.

"Of course. With Jupiter's strength, and my brains, nothing can stop us!" Mercury assured her daughter.

Then her and Jupiter closed the doors of the one person pods and hit the button on the stand next to the pods.

The pods blasted off into space.

Mercury and Jupiter looked around them to discover that yoma's surrounded them.

"Let's fight together, heh Wateria?" Jupiter asked.

"One last time, Treenalyn." Mercury replied.

Up in the escape pod Lita was in, she had her little communication screen on. Ami was looking back at her from her pod.

"I hate these things!" Ami complained as her pod was jarred. "I always think that some thing's going to hit the pod and it's going to explode."

"Don't say things like that! Better, don't think things like that! You'll jinx everything!" Lita cried as her pod too was jarred.

Just then Ami's pod shook more violently then ever. A beeping sound was coming from Ami's pod.

Ami looked at something off screen, something on her control panel.

Her face paled.

She looked at Lita one last time.

"You were right. I did jinx it." She said.

Then the screen became nothing but static.

Lita banged on the screen, pushed buttons on her control panel, and threatened the screen, but she could not bring back a visual of Ami.

In Ami's pod, her power was failing. A huge chunk of something had hit the outer hull. And her power was now leaking out into space.

After her screen died, Ami had unbuckled herself and had opened a panel on the wall beside the seat. She started pulling out wires and reconnecting them to others. Trying to get life support back and hopefully a little control.

Suddenly from the speakers for the communications screen, music began playing.

"Oh sweetie you're like apple pie, you're warm and sweet and not too dry,"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ami cried as she quickly cut the connection.

"WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!" She yelled.

With a bit more struggling she managed to get life support back up, but it was only temporary. It only had forty minutes left. Fortunately, if she hadn't gotten hit off course too much, it would be just enough to last till she landed on Earth. Unfortunately, she didn't have control over the craft and where she landed was up to the wind.

Well, actually, it all depended upon the speed at which she was going, how far she was off course, gravity when she entered Earth's atmosphere, then the wind... You get the picture, right?

When Ami's pod finally did land, she was on land. Where, she didn't know, nor did she care at this point. She only had four minutes of oxygen left before she died.

She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She realized that either the door was jammed, or she had landed door side down.

She hoped it was the latter.

She tried pushing against a wall of the pod, and it moved a little! She pushed a little more, until she had calculated that the door was off the ground.

Then she carefully stood up on the back of her seat, for the door had been behind the seat, but now it was on the ceiling, and pushed.

It opened just as the oxygen timer beeped two minutes.

Ami leaped out of the pod and jumped to the ground. It was dirt, and rocks. On the opposite side of the pod, was ocean, on the side she was now facing was green land and not to far into that green land was a village.

Then the detonator voice chimed:

"Six seconds till detention."

Ami ran like the wind. The pod was set to explode six seconds after the door was opened. Just encase the wrong person got a hold of it.

"Three...Two...One...Fire!"

The explosion shook the ground and debris flew through the air. Ami was thrown five or six yards away, as her glasses flew off her nose.

She hit the ground hard, and her head hit a stone hard enough to knock her out. Her glasses landed a few feet away and broke in two, as the people of that village came running to see what had happened.

Lita's pod landed where it was supposed to without incident.

She got away from it in time to avoid the blast that issued.

For a while she just sat there and cried. When she felt better, she dried her eyes, and got up. She climbed up one of the trees that surrounded her, and found the palace faced west.

She climbed down from the tree, and started her journey to the palace.

Sadly, she would never make it.

When Ami woke up, her head hurt like heck!

She reached a hand up to her forehead and realized she had a bandage around it.

Her sight was blurry and she realized her glasses were no longer there.

She couldn't see much, but she heard people talking softly through what she figured was a door.

Then through that door came a person, who lit a lamp on a desk. Ami still couldn't see right, but she could see the outline of the person and it looked like a women.

The person walked over to the side of Ami's bed.

"Hello there, little one." Yup a women. She spoke in a soft, smooth, comforting voice. "My name is Taknisha. I'm the medicine women in this village. You are in the country Japan. May I ask your name?"

And it was then that Ami realized she didn't know her name. In fact, she didn't know anything.

We are now in the palace of the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Pluto had just requested an audience with Queen Serenity and had said that it was urgent.

Queen Serenity was now seated with Pluto in her private rooms.

"My Lady, the planets Jupiter and Mercury were attacked at the same time. I'm afraid there is nothing life wise left on them." Pluto told her.

"What about Queen Mercury and Queen Jupiter?" Serenity asked.

"They were both on Jupiter, as were their children." Pluto replied in a soft voice.

"So their all dead?" Asked the Queen just as gently.

"I...don't think so, my Lady." Pluto replied. "There were two travel pods missing. I think the children were in them. All the pods were programed with an Earth Course. I just don't know where they landed. I'm the Sailor Scout of Time and Space, yet I cannot see them. Something evil is blocking my vision."

"I never knew your vision could be blocked." Serenity said worriedly.

"It can." Pluto said with her head tilted down slightly.

"Where are Mars and Venus, and their children?" Th Queen asked.

"Here in the palace." Pluto replied.

"Bring them here. You will take them to Ikoku and Kenji immediately. No more time can be wasted." The Queen said.


	3. Chapter 3

Keep Her Safe

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Thanks to Katblue (I don't have a Microsoft Word thing, but I do know a website that has a spell check. I'll try to use it! Darien will be showing up soon! I've already written the story up to chapter 13, and I've already written Darien into the story way before then. - It wasn't hard at all!

Hang on...It's going to be a LONG ride!

Place: The Throne Room of the Palace in England.

A three year old black haired girl with violet eyes quietly walked over to a three year old blond haired girl with light blue eyes, who was standing just behind her mother, the Queen of Venus.

"Mina, you all right?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm fine, Ray." Mina replied in the same voice. "I'm just, well, nervous."

Ray put a hand on Mina's shoulder. She'd never admit it, but she was nervous as well. The Royal's of the planet Mars never admit how they feel, unless it was really necessary.

"Why aren't Merc- uh, I mean, Ami and Lita here?" Mina asked.

"You need to watch your tongue, Mina." Ray warned sternly. Then her face softened. "Mother told me they are missing." She explained.

"Where could they have gone to be proclaimed missing?" Mina asked.

Mina...always dim...

"We don't know. That's why they're missing." Ray explained with exaggerated patience.

"Oh." Mina finally understood.

Mina was the Princess of Love and Beauty, yet when it came to wits she didn't have much. But she had a good heart.

"That's why we're here two hours early?" Mina asked. "Because they don't want us to go missing, and thus leave the Princess unprotected?"

Maybe there was a spark of wit in there after all.

"That's right." Ray replied.

"Girls!" The Queen of Mars, Ray's mother, called to them and gestured for them to come over. She and Venus had been talking with the Royal's of England. But now the Royal's had left.

When the girls had stationed themselves beside their mothers, the Queen of Venus started to talk to them.

"Girls, in a moment you will be introduced to Princess Serena. Mind you she doesn't have an advanced vocabulary as you two have."

"Why not?" Mina asked.

"Because her power was taken from her to protect her. Without her power she can't learn things as fast as you two can."

"Oh." Mina whispered wide eyed.

"Now, before you meet her, please repeat to me what your roles are?" Venus asked.

Together Mina and Ray repeated what they had been taught for the last two years.

"We are to be ladies in waiting for the Princess. We are also to get to know her, so that she will feel comfortable in telling us things she normally wouldn't tell anyone. So we can decided if anything is wrong and thus tell you. Also, so we can know where her favorite hiding places are so we will know where to look if she goes missing, before sounding the alarm to you. We are to be attentive and watch for anything suspicious or anything that may be harmful to the Princess. We are to be her guardians, protectors, and friends."

"And about your powers?" Mars asked.

"We are not to use them unless all else fails. If our strength is not enough to protect her, say her true name and her true mother will know where to find her and thus send reinforcements. But be watchful and alert, for the enemy will know and will come too."

"Very good. You've learned well. Now, to meet the Princess." Venus said.

They waited.

In a few moments, Queen Ikoku and King Kenji came walking back down the corridor. In her arms Queen Ikoku held Princess Serena.

When she was a few feet away from the girls, Queen Ikoku sat the Princess down on the floor.

The Princess was wearing a light purple silk dress with white lace trim around the collar, cuffs, and hem. Her hair was as gold as the sun and fell to her waist. Her bangs were held back with mother of pearl hair pins. Her eyes were blue. Not as light as Mina's, but not dark either. Her eyes were alive with curiosity, as they looked from the women to the girls.

"Serena, these are you're new ladies in waiting." Ikoku told her in a warm gentle voice. "Mina, and Ray."

Mina and Ray stepped forward and knelt down to be eye level with Serena. Serena was sitting.

"Hey there, my lady!" Mina said cheerfully.

Ray didn't say anything, just knelt there and watched her.

Serena first looked at Mina. Then, with a little struggle, she unclipped one of her hair pins and leaned forward, and attempted to clip Mina's bangs back. Mina leaned forward to make it easier.

Serena was having trouble with the clip, but when Ray and Mina offered to help her, she shook her head.

"I can bo it." She said.

Mina and Ray glanced at each other. So the Princess could say four words. Almost... Great!

With a little more struggling Serena finally did manage to pin Mina's hair back. Admittedly, the pin was crooked, and a few strands of hair stood out from Mina's head, but Serena looked happy with her work.

Mina beamed at her.

"Thank you!" She cried.

Serena beamed too!

Then she unclipped her other pin and did the same thing to Ray. But this time it went a little faster. But not a whole lot neater.

Done with that, Serena clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I think the girls have made it off to a great start!" Ikoku announced happily.

The others smiled with relief.

Then to everyones wonderment, Serena managed to stand up! She was a bit wobbly, but she allowed Ray and Mina to hold her up.

"Why, Serena! You can stand! When did that happen?" Ikoku asked.

Serena justed smiled.

"I think it happened just now!" Mina laughed.

Serena looked at Mina's and Ray's dresses. Mina was wearing a yellow dress, that had a V-neck and hung straight from her shoulders down to the floor. No waist.

Ray was wearing a red dress, with a regular neck and long sleeves. She had a V-shaped waist, and a floor length flowing skirt.

"Bwess up! Bwess up!" Serena cried.

Mina and Ray arched their eyebrows.

"I think she means dress up." Kenji said with a smile.

Serena started tugging at Mina and Ray's hands. Then she stopped. She looked questioningly up at Ikoku.

Ikoku nodded.

Serena lead Mina and Ray off to her bedroom to play dress up. Mina and Ray helped her to stay standing.

Ikoku looked at one of the guards at the door of the throne room, and motioned with her eyes for the guard to follow the girls.

The guard silently complied.

When the girls were out of earshot, Ikoku and Kenji turned to Mars and Venus.

"I remember hearing the Queen say that there were going to be four protectors." Ikoku started.

"Ami and Lita are missing." Mars explained.

"We don't know where they are, except that they might be on Earth." Venus continued.

"So please keep a look out. You will know them, by the name they write down as the Princess's true name." Mars finished.

"Uranus and Neptune have already left." Ikoku started.

"Yes, we know. They are back with the Queen and their children. And we must go now too. We'll check in at the start of every month." Venus replied.

Just before they left, Mars looked back at the couple.

"On behalf of the Queen and the Sailor Scouts, I thank you. So much!"

And they were gone in a flash of red and orange light.

After a moment Ikoku and Kenji walked back to Serena's playroom.

Blue, silver, and yellow colors flashed themselves off to the eye as one entered the room.

Ray was sitting in a too-stuffed comfy chair, leaning over the arm of it, watching Mina and Serena. Mina and Serena were in front of Serena's little vanity set. Serena was sitting in her chair while Mina stood behind her twiddling with her hair.

A few minutes later, Mina was finished.

"There!" She said with pride as Serena stared at her reflection in the mirror. "A hairstyle fit for a Princess!"

"And for a Queen, when she turns old enough." Ray offered from her seat.

Serena's new hairstyle was just like Queen Serenity's. A golden bun on each side of her head, with streamers of gold flowing behind them. But since her hair was so short, the streamers only came to her shoulders in little curls.

Serena turned and looked at her mother, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Look mama! I'm a real princess now!" She cried happily!

Four years later:

Serena was trying to sleep, but she couldn't. Tonight was another restless night.

She knew that if she fell asleep she'd and hear those words which she dreaded more than any other.

She sat up in her rose colored, satin, four poster bed that nearly filled her huge bedroom. The curtains had been drawn to cover the windows, but even if they were open, no light would filter through. For it was midnight, and it was a new moon.

She sat there, head bowed, trying to fend off sleep.

Then the door connecting her bedroom to the bedroom Mina and Ray shared opened, and Ray slipped through, closing the door gently behind her.

"My lady, what's wrong?" She asked as she walked gently across the floor to climb up on the edge of Serena's bed.

"I couldn't sleep." Serena replied.

"I wouldn't doubt it!" Ray replied. "You sleep most of your slumber during your lessons in the day!"

Then Ray took a closer look at Serena.

"Yet, you look like you're going to fall asleep sitting there."

She was right, for Serena's eyelids were beginning to droop.

Serena shook her head.

"I don't want to fall asleep!" She cried vehemently.

Ray was taken aback by her behavior.

"Why?" She asked softly.

Serena looked up at her, with fear in her eyes.

"Why?" Ray asked more firmly. It was more an order to tell her, then a question. Serena knew that Ray would not back down now.

With a sigh, Serena stared at the satin sheets, and told her.

"Every night, on the night of the new moon, I have...this...dream. I'm a baby, and I'm being held in someones arms. It's a women, but I can't see her face. There's white mist all around us and it shields her features from me. But I feel warm and loved in her arms. Yet I since sadness in her too. She puts a hand to my forehead. Then I hear her say these words. "I take thy birthright from thee, Princess Serenity. 'Till I see safe to give it back."."

Here Serena stopped to take a breath.

Ray's heart nearly stopped. 'She remembers that!' Her mind cried.

"Then my forehead burns. Yet I can't make any noise against it. Then I see two huge red eyes, looking over the womens shoulders, at me. They burn with some emotion that I don't know. They burn away the mist around us, but as the mist goes, the image of the women fades. And I can never see her clearly. Then all the mist of white disappears, and only the darkness, the burning, and the eyes remain." Serena finished.

Ray's eyes were wide.

Serena looked up from staring at her covers. Her blue eyes stared at Ray with a pleading look in them.

"Ray, I don't want my birthright taken from me!" She cries. "That means that I can no longer stay with my family. And that I won't be able to take care of my people when my parents step down! What will happen to them?"

'She's worried about that, when she ought to be worried at the eyes. Those eyes were Baryl's! I'd bet my life on it!' Ray thought.

But before she could say anything to her, Serena spoke again.

"And then there's the eyes. Do you know what emotion they felt, that they burned like that?" She asked.

"It was, probably, hatred." Ray explained.

"Oh, so that's what that feels like." Serena muttered, looking down at the sheets again.

Ray knew that Serena would not know what hatred felt like. In order to keep her safe, she had been sheltered most of her life. And only surrounded by people who loved her.

Ray made a mental note to tell her mother this as soon as she could. In the mean time...

"Serena, you have to get your sleep or else you'll be sleeping in class again, and you know how your mother feels about that. Listen, I'll stay with you tonight. Maybe with me here, the dream won't come again." Ray said.

"You think so?"

"Yes, I do."

"Thanks."

Ray climbed up under the sheets beside Serena and they laid against each other, till they both fell asleep. And the dream did not come.

Sometime the next day, while Serena was in class, studying for once, Ray came into her bedroom.

She had thought it through, and had decided that maybe it wasn't necessary to tell her mother. Ray thought that maybe she could take care of this herself.

She went to the top of Serena's bed, and on the back of Serena's shiny ebony headboard she pasted a short strip of white paper with the Martian symbols for peace, tranquility, and love.

"With the power already in these words, protect my princess. Protect my friend." She whispered to it.

It glowed softly, then was silent.

Ray left the room then, feeling more confident that Serena was going to be okay.

And for the years to come Serena never had that dream again. And in time, she forgot she ever dreamed it.

(Stop here? Why? I'm gonna' tell you about one of our missing Senshi!)

Seven years later:

"I don't think this is a good idea, Serena!" Ray muttered as Serena pulled the hood of the brown cloak she was wearing down over head.

"Don't worry Ray." Serena told her quietly as she and Ray walked out to the front gate of the palace. "The only time I'm ever out is when I'm pretending to be my double while Mina plays me. And only for ceremony's. I want to get to know the kingdom I'll someday rule."

'If only she knew that this wasn't the kingdom she'll be ruling.' Ray thought.

"Besides," Serena added. "I'm taking Mina with me."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Ray asked exasperatedly. "You know Mina is dim most of the time, and though she knows how to fight somewhat, I'd feel better if it was me doing the fighting."

"Since no one will know it's me, there won't be any fights." Serena assured her.

"Hey Sere!" A voice called to them.

Mina, dressed in the same kind of cloak as Serena was, came running down the path. Her hood was down, but she quickly pulled it up, when she came to a stop beside them.

"Sorry I'm late. Let's go!" She said happily.

She grabbed Serena by the arm and towed her toward the village.

"Don't worry, Ray! We'll be fine. See you later!" Serena yelled over her shoulder.

Ray shook her head and closed the gate.

"I hate it when she does things like this." She muttered as she walked back toward the palace.

Serena was enjoying the tour immensely.

At the moment she and Mina were looking at the window displays of a weavers shop. They saw scarves, and blankets, and robes, and cloaks, and shawls.

Serena could see that Mina was staring at a very pretty orange and gold with a hint of red shawl.

"That would go great with your red and orange ball gown." Serena whispered to her.

"Uh huh." Mina nodded, transfixed by the shawl.

"Well, go in and buy it!" Serena coaxed her, as she pushed a little bag of money into Mina's hand.

That brought Mina out of her daydream with a jump.

"I couldn't!" She cried.

"Of course you can!" Serena countered. "Just go in there, ask to buy that shawl, pay for it, and come back. I'll be waiting right here!"

Mina stared at the money bag in her hand.

"There's enough in there for it, I'm sure." Serena assured her.

Mina smiled.

"Thanks!" She said quickly hugging Serena.

Then she ran into the store.

A few minutes later, Serena saw Mina and the store owner come to the window and pick up the shawl. Mina waved at Serena and Serena waved back.

Then they preceded to the counter at the back of the store.

That was when Serena heard the furious barking and the single cry of a child for help.

Serena forgot about Mina, and ran toward the sound.

A few streets later, she came within sight of the dogs and the child.

The dogs were chasing a little girl of about four. She wore a little pink cotton dress, with a white apron. And her reddish hair was coming down from it's ponytail. Her knees and hands were scraped, bloody, and bruised.

The dogs were big. Two German Shepperd's. Slobber hung in ribbons around their mouths.

Serena was still two far away to help her when the girl fell.

But a stranger intervened then.

Out of nowhere a tall girl ran into the dogs, and started beating them away from the girls, with nothing but her fists.

Serena circled them keeping her distance, and picked up the little girl.

Not knowing what to do, she just stood there watching the stranger fighting the dogs...And winning.

Then the girl whirled around and flew toward Serena. She grabbed one of Serena's hands and pulled her away.

They ran down many more streets, with the dogs in hot pursuit.

Then they ran into a stone wall, a little bigger than the tall girl. Now that Serena was standing beside her, Serena could see that the girl was about two heads taller than she was.

The tall girl grabbed Serena around the waist and lifted her up.

"Climb over!" She cried.

Serena sat the little girl on top of the wall, and pulled herself over. Then she hugged the girl to herself and jumped off the wall, landing on the grass on the other side.

The tall girl landed beside her just as the dogs reached the wall.

No amount of barking, clawing, slobbering, howling, or jumping got them over the fence, and soon they gave up, and went away to sulk.

The tall girl leaned her back against the wall, with a sigh of relief.

Then she turned her attention to the little girl.

"Alright, Fey, what started that?" She asked her as she gently took Fey from Serena's arms.

"Mom sent me to the bakery to pick up one of your pies, but when I started walking home, the dogs started to chase me. I gave them the pie, but they just ate it and chased me some more."

"Mean old dogs." The teenager muttered as she looked little Fey over for wounds. All she found was shallow scratches on her knees and palms, and a whole lot of bruises everywhere else. Nothing serious.

"Okay, squirt. You're alright, but I bet your mom is worried sick. Go stand by the gate over there, while I talk to our new friend here, and then I'll take you home."

"Okay!" Fey said happily as the tall girl sat her down.

Then Fey hugged Serena around the legs.

"Thank you!" She cried, then ran off to wait by the gate on the other side of the garden. They had jumped the fence to the village garden. It was empty at the moment. The garden wouldn't start to accumulate people until late afternoon.

"Thank you for saving Fey..." The tall girl started to say, but stopped when she saw Serena's face. Her eyes went wide.

"Mina?" She asked in disbelief.

Serena felt around her shoulders and discovered that her hood had fallen back when she had jumped off the top of the fence.

She quickly pulled it back up, but it was too late. The girl had seen her face. But she thought Serena was Mina.

"Mina?" She asked again with a demanding tone.

"No, I'm not Mina." Serena answered.

The girl stared at her long and hard.

Then in a whisper that Serena could barely hear.

"Princess Serena?"

"You got me there." Serena replied, while scratching the back of her head nervously.

The girl's breath quickened. Then before Serena knew what hit her, the girl had trapped her in a hug so tight that Serena couldn't breath.

Lucky for her, the girl only hugged her for about two minutes.

"What was that about?" Serena laughed once she had gotten her breath back.

"I'm sorry, I was just so excited." The girl apologized. "Do you know a Ray, Mina and Ami?" She asked.

"Ray, yes. Mina, yes, she's my double. Ami, no. No Ami. Why?"

"Well, I knew them when we were very young. But we got separated when they went to the palace. I haven't seen them in years."

"Well, then. It's time for a little reunion." Serena said, clapping her hands gently together. Her mother had taught her never to clap loudly unless she was calling for silence in a room.

"I'd love that, but I don't think they'd let you."

"Ray, maybe. But I'm here with Mina. Well, I was here with Mina. Do you know the way to the weavers shop? That's where I left her." Serena inquired.

"Sure. Out the gate, to the left, you'll see the top of the palace over the houses and shops. Keep going toward the palace, and you'll come to the weavers shop. I'm going to take little Fey home, and get cleaned up. Why don't we meet at the south side of the palace in an half an hour?"

"That'd be great! The South side is by the ocean. My balcony overlooks it. We'll be there!" Serena said happily as they walked over to Fey.

The girl nodded and took Fey's hand, and started off to the right.

"Oh, uh, wait!" Serena called.

The girl paused and looked back at her.

"What's your name?"

"Oh," She said while brushing a strand of oak brown hair out of her eyes. "It's Lita."

They smiled and waved at each other, and parted ways.


	4. Chapter 4

Keep Her Safe Chapter Four

LadyPrin

Disclaimer applies.

Something to think about. Is Lita really Lita? Or is she...just an illusion?

Serena managed to find the weavers shop without much trouble, and she found Mina just coming out of the shop. Mina never even knew she had left. Mina had been preoccupied with talking to the women who owned the shop.

"You left without telling me?" Mina cried after Serena had told her what had happened.

Serena shrugged.

"Well, most of the blame goes to me I guess. I normally don't have company along when I visit the village. I forgot you were along. But still next time tell me! You could've been killed!"

After Mina had calmed down, Serena told her about Lita.

Mina stood there in shock.

"I used to know a Lita..." Mina whispered. Afraid to let the hope shine on her face, for fear that this Lita was a false.

"She wants to meet us by the shore." Serena said excitedly.

"By the docks? That's an odd place to meet." Mina thought for a moment. Finally her need to know if her friend was really alive got the best of her.

"Let's go! We don't want to be late! And it looks like it might rain." Mina said worriedly.

Sure enough, dark rain clouds were forming. Coming up on the south side above the ocean.

When they had arrived at the docks, the dark clouds had completely covered the sky, but no rain had come down yet.

They waited there for over ten minutes past the time that Lita said she'd be there. And Mina was getting a bad feeling.

"I think we should go back to the palace." Mina said.

"She said she'd be here. I hope nothing bad has happened to her." Serena said.

'Just like Serena.' Mina thought. 'Never thinking of anything as a trap.'

Then her Sailor Scout instincts kicked in.

And she knew they were being watched.

'We have to get our backs covered.' Mina thought urgently.

"Come on!" She whispered furiously to Serena, while grabbing her arm and pulling her along.

Serena tried to say something, but Mina covered her mouth.

Only then did Serena get the hint.

They hid behind some crates of what smelled horribly of fish, with the wall of a storage shed behind them.

"That covers our backs, now we only have three sides to worry about an attack coming from now." Mina muttered.

"Mina you don't really think that this is a trap do you?" Serena asked.

Mina looked her in the eye.

"Yes, I do. I've been trained for this, Serena. Trust me."

Serena smiled slightly, and pulled her hood up. Mina did the same.

They waited...and waited...and waited...

Finally Serena chanced saying something.

"Shouldn't we try to run for home? I'm getting cramped, and it's getting awfully cold for this time of year."

Mina looked at her.

"I don't feel any cold."

Serena paused in her rubbing her arms in an attempt to bring warmth back into them.

"You don't?" She asked.

Mina shook her head. Then chanced a look up at the sky right above their heads.

Red flaming eyes stared back at her.

Mina gulped, loudly.

The eyes belonged to a horrible looking face. It's skin was grayish/green scales. It had a snout like a pig, just a line for a mouth, and a forked tongue flitting in and out of it. It's body was that of a giant lizard, and it was clinging to the wall of the shed. It had been trying to come upon them from above, something Mina had not expected.

They stared at each other for a minute.

Mina just couldn't seem to look away.

Then the head jerked away and the thing fell to the right of Mina into the crates.

Mina was breathing hard and looked at Serena. She was holding a long piece of wood. She had hit the monster upside the head with it.

"You okay?" Serena asked her.

Mina nodded.

The thing groaned.

Mina grabbed Serena and they ran down the docks toward the palace. Serena still holding the makeshift club.

It was then that the fog rolled in. It dampened their cloaks and made their dresses cling to their bodies.

"What was that thing?" Serena asked breathlessly.

"Yoma, monster, take your pick. They're the same." Mina replied.

Then out of the fog glowed eleven pairs of red eyes.

Mina and Serena stopped. They looked left and right.

On their left was sheds...all locked...to their right, was a ship!

Mina pointed at the ship, and they ran onto it. They layed down on their stomaches below the short wall that made the railing.

They waited.

They heard snorts, and growls, and every now and then, bloodcurdling howls. But they stayed silent and still, and they were not found.

Eventually, the sounds ceased.

Mina chanced a look over the railing.

There didn't seem to be anything moving. And thankfully no glowing red eyes.

"I think we can run for it now." Mina whispered to Serena.

Serena didn't answer.

"Serena?" Mina looked down and Serena wasn't there anymore.

"Serena!" Mina whispered as loud as she dared, looking around the deck.

Then Mina noticed an open hatch a few feet away.

Mina moved slowly to it.

"Serena?" She whispered into it.

"Down here!" Serena whispered back.

Mina slowly descended the stairs, to find Serena motioning for Mina to follow her down the left corridor.

Mina followed.

They came to a door that was locked.

"Listen." Serena whispered.

Mina listened. She could make out sobs coming from the other side of the door. And the clink of chains.

"A slave ship!" Mina whispered. "We're on a slave ship!"

"Isn't slaving illegal?" Serena asked.

"Yes, but just because it's illegal doesn't mean people don't do it." Mina muttered.

"We have to get them out of there!" Serena said urgently.

"Stand back." Mina motioned for Serena to move to the side.

Mina walked back a few feet, then ran at the door and kicked it with her high heeled foot. The door gave a little but held. The sounds on the other side stopped.

"Mina..." Serena tried to tell Mina that trying to kick in a thick wooden door with a high heeled foot, would do killer damage to the foot, but Mina shushed her.

'If I can't kick in this door in high heels, then I don't deserve to be Sailor Venus!' Mina thought.

She ran at the door again with a mighty yell (not too wise), and this time the door gave way.

And Mina went right through it and landed on her back, legs in the air, with a thump.

Serena followed.

"You shouldn't have yelled. Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Mina said getting up.

They looked around the room. About ten girls were chained to the walls. They were all staring wide eyed at the new girls.

"Okay, Serena, give me a hairpin." Mina said.

"I have hairpins in my hair?" Serena asked.

Mina looked at her incredulously.

"What do you think your hair is held up with? Air?" Mina asked.

"Well, I've never payed much attention to how you put it up." Serena replied.

"Uhg..."

Mina walked up behind Serena, lowered her hood, and after a bit of searching found a hairpin.

"I really need to teach you to do your own hair." She said going to the first girl and using the hairpin, unchained her.

As she was doing the second girl, Serena searched around in her hair and eventually, after messing her hair up real badly, found another hairpin and doing what she had seen Mina do helped to unchain the rest.

After the girls were all unchained, Serena and Mina led them up to the deck. After checking to see that no one, and nothing, was about, they pointed the girls to the palace.

"Tell them what happened to you, and how you got there, and give them this." Serena gave one of the girls her ring. "Go with the Princess's blessing."

The girls stared wide eyed at her. Then with more urging from Serena and Mina they ran off the boat and were soon gone from sight.

Serena and Mina waited a little while to make sure the coast was clear.

"Let's go." Mina whispered.

They were almost to the bottom of the plank, when they were grabbed by a group of figures that seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Hey, Captain! Look, two more for the market!" One of them said.

"Bring 'em up, chain them, and let's move out!" The Captain yelled back.

They struggled and yelled furiously, but they couldn't escape.

The ship was already underway, when their captors found out that their cargo had ran off.

Serena and Mina escaped a beating, only because they were the only 'cargo' left. Their captors did not wish to damage the goods they had.

They were chained up, and the boat continued on it's way.

It's destination?

Japan.

Unknown to almost everyone, a lone figure stood on the pier they had just launched from. Her oak brown hair flowing in the wind, her green eyes staring at the ship as it disappeared.

The man on duty in the mast saw the shadow of the women as it disappeared. She gave him an unsettling feeling. But he soon forgot about her.


	5. Chapter 5

Keep Her Safe Chapter Five

Lady Prin

Disclaimer Applies.

Last time we left our princess and her protector chained in the cargo hold of a slave ship heading for Japan.

We go back to them now...

Serena and Mina were sitting on the floor of the rocking ship, their hands held above their heads by the chains on their wrists.

Serena leaned her back against the wall. She was looking a bit green.

"I think I'm going to be sea sick." She muttered, her eyes closed.

"We don't have time for that right now." Mina whispered to her. "We need to go over the plan."

The plan was something that Ikoku, Kenji, Mina, & Rei had come up with just in case Serena was kidnapped by human beings.

"First, what is your name?" Mina asked Serena.

"Uh... Rena?" Serena asked, looking at Mina.

"Yes. My name shall be Mani. Now, where do you come from?"

Serena thought hard, but couldn't remember.

"China." Mina said. "Not England."

"China." Serena repeated, nodding.

"Now, what do you know of Japan?" Mina asked.

"Uh, heh heh!" Serena laughed nervously.

"You slept through that class too, I see." Mina said looking at her with an exasperated expression.

"I have a good reason for sleeping through classes!" Serena said with immense dignity.

"That being..." Mina asked.

Serena blinked at her, but kept silent.

Mina raised an eyebrow, but let it pass.

"Okay, history lesson that is essential to survival. Listen up. Japan is considered by some to be the center of the world. The kingdom that began all other kingdoms. The royal family of the Earth lives there."

"The Prince is named Prince Endymion!" Serena interrupted.

"Glad to see you retained something!" Mina praised. "Yes. They rank higher than all the other kings and queens. In fact they assigned the other king and queens, like your parents, to their positions. They have the power to over rule any command that the others make."

Mina took a big breath.

"Unlike England, slavery is legal. Your mother is trying to rally enough high ranking people behind her to appeal to the high royals to stop slavery in Japan and other countries. So far it's still a work in progress. We'll probably be taken to a market and made to stand there so people can look us over. We'll go to the highest bidder." Here Mina paused. "We may go to different owners..." She finished.

Serena looked at her with wide eyes.

"What? You mean we'll be separated?! That can't happen!!!" It took all her strength not to yell it, but she didn't even try to stop her tears.

Mina looked at her sympathetically.

"Listen, it'll be alright. Stick with the plan. We'll try to get away from our owners, and meet at a designated area. Like in front of the palace. Then we'll try to send a message to Rei. We'll send it to the mail house in the village. When she finds out we've been kidnapped, she'll start checking her mail there. Remember to use her other name."

"Fireia." (said Fire-e-a) Serena muttered, eyes downcast.

"Yes." Mina said softly. "You're going to have to let your hair down. Odango's are not a very popular hair style at the moment. You'll stand out."

Serena stood up and finished taking her hair all the way down. She stuck the last two hairpins in her mouth, and gave a hairpin to Mina who took it in her mouth.

Serena than put her hairpin in Mina's pocket, and Mina put hers in Serena's.

Then a few minutes of silence passed.

"Don't you pay attention to any of your classes?" Mina asked light heartedly. Trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. Cooking." Serena said quietly.

Mina looked at her in shock.

"You pay attention in cooking?! And still you managed to blow up the kitchen!"

"That was only the first time!" Serena said. "I didn't blow it up the second time!"

"No...You made tuna noodle surprise, and the surprise was it glowed in the dark and melted the silverware, the mettle, the porcelain, and went right through the floor. All thirty-two floors." Mina said.

Serena chuckled slightly.

The sky was cloudless, and the breeze blew salty air against the walls of the palace in England.

Rei was sitting on the railing of Serena's balcony, the long skirt of her red dress with gold trim was tucked under her, as she stared out at the sea.

Her long black hair blew around her, as she looked down and opened her hand.

In it lay the ring that one of the slave girls had given to Ikoku after they had told the King, Queen, and Rei what had happened so far that they knew.

Ikuko and Kenji had immediately sent a unit of guards to make sure the Princess and Mina were safe.

They had come back to report that they couldn't find them anywhere in the village.

Rei had sent a message via the kitchen fire to her mother who was staying in the moon palace.

Then she had gone to the village mail house to see if Serena or Mina had tried to contact her. Nothing.

She had come back to the palace, but no message had returned from her mother.

She was now waiting for something, anything, to happen. For there was nothing more she could do, without drawing attention to herself.

Earlier, in the moon palace, in a room set apart from the others, Fireia, Queen of Mars, Sailor Mars, and mother of Rei, sat in front of the Martian fire doing her regular meditations.

She had made a regular routine of checking in on the princess. She tried to do that now. But she saw nothing.

She tried a few more times before a message from Rei came through.

The princess had been kidnapped. Mina was missing too. Awaiting instructions.

Fireia stood up abruptly, and swept from the room.

She found her Queen sitting in the courtyard, surrounded by red, purple, blue, white, and pink flowers from all the planets. Her white dress spread out from her made her look like a flower in bloom as well. Two cats were sitting with her. One was a black female with red eyes. The other was a white male with blue eyes. Both had a gold crescent moon on their foreheads.

Fireia knew them to be Luna and Artemis. Counselors of the Queen. Artemis was also the protector and guardian for the Sailor Scout of Venus.

As Fireia approached the Queen, the Queen seemed to sense her presence.

She half turned at the waist and Fireia stopped and half bowed.

"My lady, some thing's wrong." Fireia said quietly.

"I know." The Queen softly answered. She turned back, and bowed her head. "My daughter is missing. As is Elegance's."

Elegance, Sailor Venus, and Queen of Venus. Mina's mother. Also known as Elle.

Fireia didn't bother to ask how she knew.

"What are your instructions, my lady?" She asked.

The Queen was silent for a few minutes.

"I have been conferring with Luna and Artemis. They seem to think that Ami is still alive, and that they may have found her."

"Really? Wateria's child?" Fireia asked. "I haven't been able to find Ami through the fire."

"That's because something blocks your vision. Just like with Serena and Mina." The Queen explained. "Using technology developed on Mercury, Luna and Artemis think that they have tracked her to Earth. To the first kingdom, Japan. They can't find Lita, and they think it'll take too much precious time to track Serena and Mina. The search for them must be done physically."

The Queen sighed, and stood up, head stilled bowed, hands in the prayer position.

"I have decided to send Artemis to Rei with a message, and to help her. I have sent Pluto to retrieve Elle and bring her here. And I will send Luna to find Ami. Artemis and Luna are sure that they can communicate by means that cannot be interfered with or listened in upon by the Negeverse."

Then the Queen's head jerked up and her eyes widened in surprise. She gasped.

Then her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed.

The last thing she heard was Fireia, Luna and Artemis's voices calling her name in fear.

Pluto stepped out of the portal to stand on Venus. Only there wasn't much of Venus left to stand on.

The buildings were in ruins, fire raged everywhere, and there was no sign of life on Venus.

Pluto looked out onto the scene layed out before her, with dismay.

She called out to Elle, both in mind and mouth.

The weak answer came by mind.

Pluto teleported over to Elle, to find her pinned beneath a pile of rubble.

Her golden hair spread out like a fan on the sands of Venus, and her blood flowed from many wounds to reunite with the planet of which her life was made.

The spark of life that once lighted her blue eyes, was fading. And the breath of life was weak.

Pluto knelt beside her.

"Oh, Elegance." She whispered, looking into Elle's blue eyes with her own pained green ones.

"She destroyed my home." Elle gasped. "Now there is only Mars, Earth, and the Moon."

Her eyes closed.

"The Queen knows. She feels my pain. I'm sorry, my friend. It shouldn't have ended this way. May the good win over evil. Life to the Serenity's, death to Baryl..."

As she muttered her last words, the sun started to set.

The sky glowed with deep orange and reds. Their light landed on Elegance and the Queen and Sailor Scout of Beauty, looked more beautiful in death than she ever looked in life. Though Pluto knew that her looks could never match the beauty of the heart that once lived within.

Then in a brilliant flash of oranges and reds, the Queen of Venus vanished.

Queen Serenity came to just as Pluto stepped through the portal into the courtyard.

They looked at each other, neither needed to say anything.

But Serenity did, for the other's sake.

"Elle is dead."

After a shocked silence, Fireia spoke up.

"Our forces dwindle. We need to find the princess. In two days she will turn fourteen."

Queen Serenity stood up uncertainly.

"Pluto, go get Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn and bring them here. Artemis, Luna, go!" She commanded.

All three bowed, and were gone in three flashes of light.

Rei was still sitting on the balcony, tears silently flowing down her cheeks.

"My lady." A voice spoke from behind her.

She turned slightly, but saw no one.

"Down here."

She looked down and saw a white cat with blue eyes and a crescent moon on it's forehead.

"Please don't cry. I'm here to help you. The Queen of the Moon sent me. My name is Artemis."

Luna crouched on the tin roof of a building, somewhere in Japan, looking out onto the other roofs in the dim light of the coming of dawn.

"Ami, ready or not, here I come!" She muttered.

And she started jumping from roof to roof, as the top of the sun crested the top of the roofs and illuminated her in it's light.


	6. Chapter 6

Keep Her Safe Chapter Six

Lady Prin

Disclaimer Applies.

"Artemis... I remember you." Rei whispered, looking Artemis in the eyes.

"I'm glad." He responded. "I remember our first and only meeting. Your were three months old. Even though you had magic you hadn't learned to talk or walk yet. We played allot with Mina and the others."

"Yes, you're Mina's and her mother's guardian and adviser." Rei said.

Artemis nodded.

"Now I'm to be your adviser and guardian, until Mina is found. Mina is now Queen of her planet."

Rei looked out over the sea.

"So...I'm the only one who has a mother now... besides Serena." She muttered.

"You now about the outers?" Artemis asked.

"Yes. Michelle, Amora, and Hotaru's mothers died a couple months ago."

"The fire told you no doubt." Artemis sat and curled his tail around him. "Yes, though their planets no longer have life, they are now Queens."

"You called us, my lady?" Amora asked as she, Michelle and Hotaru knelt in front of the Queen's throne.

"Yes. Children, only Rei's mother is still alive. She is somewhere safe on Earth for now. But our forces dwindle. The treaty to the Showma Kingdom in the next Galaxy is almost final. But I need to find my daughter before I can sign it. The Showma's understand the peril my daughter is in, but they will not wait too long to have her found. Whether alive, or...dead." The Queen swallowed nervously. "We only have two Earth weeks to find her. Otherwise, they will not come to our aid when Baryl attacks. And she will attack, sooner or later. I have a job for you..."

Amora, Michelle, and Hotaru listened carefully and attentively as their Queen layed out her plan.

(I myself have yet to figure out what they will do. But give me time and I will!)...(Oh, wait! It's coming to me...I HAVE IT! And I ain't telling yet!)

Serena and Mina were awakened from their sleep by the jerk of the ship as it docked in the harbor of Japan.

They didn't know how long they had been in the ship. They spent their time sleeping, talking in whispers, and every now and then when a crew member brought them something to eat, they ate. Though they never could tell what they were eating, and they didn't ask.

They were never let out of their room, so their clothes were very dirty and smelly. Their cloaks had been taken from them when they were captured, so what remained was their simple dresses.

Mina's was blue, Serena's was dark yellow. They looked like the daughters of peasants, which worked very well for them. They were planning on posing as sisters, hoping they'd be sold as a pair.

When the ship was docked, Serena and Mina stood up slowly, stretching their unused leg muscles.

Then about four men came into the room.

One took hold of Serena, another Mina. Then one started to unchain Mina, and the other Serena.

Then, with a man holding them on both sides, they were ushered through the ship into another room. This room had a table in the middle, and a bathroom off to the side. There was a small round window on the wall opposite the door, and through it they could see the water and a partly cloudy sky.

On the table layed two dresses. One blue, one red, both with gold trim. Both accented the girls perfectly. Under the table, below each dress, was two pairs of shoes, same colors as the dresses. Also on the table, was a little wooden box, it's lid closed.

They were thrust roughly into the room, and told to wash with the water in the bathroom, and change clothes. Then the men left.

Mina tried to open the door.

"Locked." She whispered to Serena.

Serena bit her lip, then went into the bathroom.

There were two tubs of water with two bars of soap.

Serena tested the water in both.

"Warm. Wonderfully warm." She whispered to Mina.

They looked at each other for a moment.

"They're trying to make us look our best." Mina explained out loud. "They think the prettier we look the more money we'll sell for."

Serena sighed.

"I don't care. I can't stand being this dirty anymore." And she started to undress.

Mina followed her lead.

As they each settled in their own tub, they sighed with relief and contentment. The warm water helped to ease their aching bones.

After they had scrubbed and cleaned themselves (Mina had to help Serena with her hair), they dried themselves with the towels on the rack by the door.

They walked out to the table in the main room, and got dressed. Serena choose the blue one, Mina choose the red. They also slipped on their respective shoes.

Mina looked in the box. There was hair brushes, and ribbons. Plus a couple clips.

"Might as well." Mina said.

It took two hours for Mina to comb Serena's hair. A crew member came to check on them every now and then, saying nothing, and always locking the door behind him.

Mina hummed slightly as she worked, weaving pink ribbons through Serena's hair as she braided it down her back. Then she took a shiny, rainbow colored, delicate looking butterfly clip, and clipped it to the right side of Serena's head. Just behind her bangs.

Then Serena took the hair brush over from Mina and combed her hair. Then she braided her hair as well, only with a yellow ribbon. Took her about four tries, but she finally got it. Then she rummaged around in the box till she found a blue flower hair clip. She clipped that to the left side of Mina's head.

Serena sat down the brush on the table, and Mina and her faced each other.

After a moment of studying each other, Mina sighed.

"Well, we certainly look like sisters." She said with a slight smile.

Serena smiled in return.

"Yeah."

Before either of them could say anything else, the door opened again. They turned to face the man who entered.

Obviously he was the Captain, for he was dressed more elaborately, then the crew members. With a blood red vest with gold trim, long black trousers, tall black boots, and rings on all his figures, and jewels on his big black Captain's hat, he looked like royalty. His black goatee was well trimmed, and curled slightly at the tip.

He servade them with mild approval.

"You've done well! You'll both sell for a pretty price. Maybe you'll sell for the price I would've gotten for all the other girls had you not released them."

He stared at them with hard eyes. Both Serena and Mina stayed silent, but kept staring defiantly back at him, in the eye.

He circled them, looking them up and down. When he came back in front of them again, he stood up straight, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Now!" He barked. "What are your names?"

Mina spoke for both of them.

"My name's Mani. This is my sister Rena."

"How old are you, Mani?"

"Fourteen." She replied.

"How old are you, Rena?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied.

Both the Captain and Mina looked at her in surprise.

"How can you not know how old you are?" He asked angrily.

"What day is it?" Serena asked calmly.

"I asked you a question!" The Captain almost screamed. "When I ask you a question, you answer, hear me!"

"Oh, I hear you." Serena replied. "I'll even bet that the whole of Japan could hear you. But I can't answer that question till I know what day it is. I don't know how many days I've spent on that boat. My birthday may have come and gone already. So I can't really answer the question, till I have what day it is."

Mina stood stock still. She'd never heard Serena make such an intelligent comeback to anything before. It took all she had not to laugh.

The Captain stood dumbfounded for a moment. Contemplating what she had said. In the end it made since.

He resumed his calm exterior.

"It's July second." He said.

"Then I am now fourteen." Serena replied calmly as well.

Mina almost gasped out loud. Serena's birthday was on June 30th. Which meant that she had been fourteen for a whole day! Queen Serenity was supposed to have met her and given her back her birthright on her birthday. Queen Serenity had to actually be touching her to give it back.

The Captain nodded in satisfaction.

"Allot of people will pay allot of money for servants as young as you." He turned to one of the two guards that had come into the room with him and were standing by the door. "Take them with us. I've decided the starting price for them. They go on the market now."

And Serena and Mina were swept from the room to meet their destiny.

Four hours ago they had been led into the city, and made to stand on a raised podium. Their hands had been tied behind their backs with rope, and when they were standing in the right position, their legs had been tied together around their ankles. They couldn't go anywhere.

They had been made to stand there for four hours, while prospective buyers looked them over, and talked with their captors. As they understood it, they were being shown, and in one more hour there would be an auction, and they would be sold to the highest bidder.

But Mina was not making it easy.

She'd make ugly faces at the people who went by, and stick out her tongue out at them. She did everything to look repulsive, stopping short at calling names. She'd never sink that low.

And Serena just stared at her with a raised eyebrow. She understood why Mina was doing this, but she had never seen her do this before. It wasn't very Mina like.

Right now Mina had stopped with the ugly faces, and just resorted to yawning.

Both of them were tired, and the streets were almost empty.

Suddenly, Serena got an elbow in the ribs from Mina.

When Serena looked, Mina was pointing to the four guards that were supposed to be watching them. They were talking to a couple of young women. Their backs to their captives.

Serena and Mina couldn't run, but they could hide.

Serena followed Mina's lead as she sat down quietly, but quickly, at the edge of the podium, and slid off. Then she followed Mina's lead as she sat down on the ground with her back to the far end of the podium. They could not be seen by the guards. The podium had an overhanging ledge. They scooted up underneath it.

In a few minutes they heard shouts from the guards. Then they felt and heard the pounding footsteps as they ran across the podium, and leaped over the edge. They kept running in that direction and rounded a corner. Soon gone from sight.

Mina then instructed Serena to lay down on her side, where her feet were behind Mina. Mina then used her hands to untie Serena's feet. Then Serena did the same for Mina.

But before they could untie their hands, the guards came back their way. There was no way they could not miss their captives.

"Run!" Mina shouted.

They broke cover and ran in the opposite direction from the guards.

They eventually ran into a place where the crowds were thicker, and they soon lost each other in the crowd.

But they kept on running.


	7. Chapter 7

Keep Her Safe Chapter Seven

Lady Prin

Disclaimer applies.

She didn't know how long she'd been running, but Mina's legs were getting really tired, and her pace was slowing.

She didn't have a clue where she was, but it looked like the heart of the city.

Mina ducked behind a corner and tried to keep her fast breathing as quiet as she could, as she listened for the footsteps of the two guards that were following her. After a minute she saw them run past her and down the street, and turned to the right, away from her.

She sighed in relief.

She turned to her left, and ran a few more steps before her legs collapsed beneath her. As she fell she twisted her ankle with a loud crack! She muffled her yell of pain as she hit the ground.

She attempted to get up, but was just too exhausted to move. After standing on the podium for four hours, then running for Serenity alone knew how long, there was just no energy left in her.

She laid there for a few minutes longer, urging herself to move, but nothing would.

Then a shadow fell upon her.

"My lady, are you okay?" A man asked as he knelt down beside her.

Mina heard the sound of metal scraping leather. And figured him to be removing a dagger from it's sheath. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when the bonds around her wrists were cut.

It was then she had a burst of energy, and flung her arms wide.

She heard a whack and the man cry out in pain, and she figured that she had hit his nose.

She pushed herself up from the ground, and leaped forward, but fell again.

Her ankle just couldn't support her weight.

Her eyes half closed, as the man leaned over her again, this time wearily.

With one hand he held a handkerchief to his nose to stop the bleeding.

"Ma'am?" He asked.

"Let. . . me. . . go. . ." Mina whispered as her eyes closed a bit more.

"I did..." The man responded in confusion.

He took a chance and leaned over Mina again. But this time Mina's energy had run out entirely.

The man's expression was worried.

"I'm going to take you to our medicine women. It's going to be alright." He told her.

"No. . . I have to. . . find Serena. . . I have to. . . find. . . my princess. . ." Mina whispered as her eyes closed completely, and she slept.

The short blond haired man stared at her with his deep green eyes. Confusion etched in his every feature.

With a shrug he picked Mina up in the wedding hold, and carried her away.

Meanwhile, Serena had been running in the opposite direction from Mina.

She felt like she had lost her captures some time ago, but wasn't too sure, and wasn't willing to risk it. So she had kept running, but like Mina, her pace was slowing.

Her cheeks were flushed from running so long, and her legs felt like lead, but her eyes were as bright and alert as ever.

Finally she just had to stop to catch her breath.

But a second later she heard footsteps coming around the corner behind her. She didn't know what to do.

"Pssssst!" A voice sounded to her left.

She looked and saw a small boy of about twelve, dressed in rags, and covered with dirt, waving at her to follow him.

She did, without hesitation.

She followed him through backyards, and down more streets, till they finally came to rest in the shadows of a low bridge that was built over a shallow river.

Serena's captures ran over the bridge and never knew that their quarry was right under their noses.

After a few minutes of getting their breaths back, the boy helped her to break her bonds.

As she rubbed her wrists to get the circulation back into them, she studied her rescuer.

He had short brown hair, and dark teal colored eyes that looked at her with curiosity. He had quite a few scrapes and bruises, and looked slightly too thin, but apart from that, healthy.

"Thank you!" Serena said cheerily to him.

After a minute, he smiled at her too.

"You're welcome!" He replied. "My name's Sammy. What's your's?"

"It's Se-...Rena." She corrected herself hastily.

"Serena?" He asked.

"No." Serena shook her head. "It's just Rena."

"Oh..." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, thinking that she wasn't telling him the truth. But here on the street, it was safer not to tell the truth. So he let it go.

"You're bleeding." He gestured toward her wrists.

"Uh?" Serena looked down.

Indeed her wrists were bleeding slightly.

"Oh..." Was all she said.

Then she promptly wiped them on her dress. This left Sammy in shock.

"You. . . just. . ." He couldn't find the words to express his shock.

Serena looked at him kindly.

"I was put in this dress for the sole purpose of being sold. There for, I do not give a moon monkey's foot that I bleed on them or not."

"Oh, I understand." Sammy said, his eyes slowly receding to their proper size.

"You should get that looked at." Sammy said.

"Where?"

"I know someone at the medicine house. She'll take a look at you. For free too. Come on!"

He took her gently by the hand and pulled her along.

When they entered the two story house, it was full of people, very busy, yet organized.

Sammy and her stood by the door for a moment.

Then Sammy spotted someone.

"Hey! Auquesta!" He yelled.

A pretty girl, with dark blue hair, and light blue eyes hidden behind large glasses came over to them, holding a writing tablet.

"Oh, hello Sammy!" She survade him up and down as Sammy looked upward and blushed. "Been in trouble again haven't you?" Auquesta asked with a smile.

Sammy answered with a shrug.

Auquesta smiled a bigger smile at him, then looked at Serena who smiled at her nervously.

"Who's your friend Sammy?"

"Her name's Rena. She was almost sold as a slave, but got away. Her wrists are bleeding. See?"

Sammy lifted Serena's wrists up so Auquesta could see them.

Auquesta took them from Sammy and looked at them closely.

"I can mend these easily. Don't worry."

CRASH! BOOM! "AAAAHHHHHHH!"

All three of them jerked their heads in the direction of a closed door in the back of the house, where the sounds were coming from. Everybody else was looking there too with curiosity.

"I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU STICK THAT INTO ME! NO! CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN? I'LL GIVE YOU CALM DOWN IN A MINUTE! I HATE NEEDLES! GET AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!"

"Mina!" Serena whispered.

"Who?" Sammy and Auquesta asked, but Serena was already across the room and trying to open the door.

"You can't go in there!" Auquesta yelled. "My Mistress is working with a very. . . mental patient!"

The door was locked.

"She's only mental when it comes to needles." Serena replied.

She backed away from the door.

'If Mina can kick down a thick wooden door in high heels, then by the moon so can I!' Serena thought.

She kicked the door. It opened with a bang! And Serena crouched down holding her ankle with a yell of pain. When she looked up she saw that three people were in the room, surrounding the bed, holding Mina down. They weren't doing a good job of it.

Serena limped in.

Auquesta and Sammy followed her in. Auquesta looked really nervous and was fiddling with her glasses.

"Auquesta I told you to keep people out! This is a very mental patient!" A plump older women on the left side of the bed cried, as she held onto Mina's arms.

"Mistress Taknisha, I tried." Auquesta replied.

"For goodness sake! Let Mmmm. . . her, go!" Serena yelled with her hands on her hips.

Mina quit struggling at Serena's voice.

"Rena?" Mina asked, looking at her with joyous eyes.

"Mani, it's me!" Serena replied with a smile as she limped over to her.

"You know this crazy women?" A black short haired man, with dark blue eyes asked, while breathing heavily. He was holding Mina's feet.

"One, yes I know her. Two, she's not crazy. Three, let her go please." Serena replied.

He and a short blond haired man with deep green eyes stared at each other for a moment. Then as if in unspoken understanding, they let go at the same time and jumped back to avoid any beatings from Mina.

Taknisha also let go and stood back.

Mina relaxed with a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Was her first words. She spoke them at the same time that Serena spoke them.

"I'm fine, what about you?" They spoke at the same time again.

They stared at each other.

Then looked each other up and down.

"You're hurt!" They both cried when they saw their ankles and wrists.

They both slapped their foreheads in frustration.

"What is this? An echo room?" The black haired man said, looking toward the ceiling.

"Might as well be." Serena and Mina said again.

The blond haired man and Sammy turned away trying not to laugh. Auquesta put a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Taknisha stood aside looking at this with a tired half smile.

"Listen, I need to give this women," She pointed to Mina. "Some medicine to stop the pain of her broken ankle."

"And I'll tell you again, I'm FINE!" Mina shouted.

In a flash she jumped from her bed onto the floor. Seconds before she had a broken ankle, now she didn't.

Everyone was in shock.

"But I saw. . . .?" Was their main words. The rest of them were mumbled too badly to be made out.

Serena was in shock, but she remained silent.

Mina sat down on the bed and hung her head.

'What did I just do? I just used my magic to heal myself just so I wouldn't have to get stuck with a needle, and I could've just alerted Baryl to Serenity's presence here! I am so stupid!' Mina thought.

Serena came over to the bed and sat down beside Mina.

"Well, now that that is taken care of..." She started to say.

Everyone in the room became silent and looked at her.

"We can now take care of your wrists." She lifted up Mina's wrists. "At least there's some work for the medicine women to take care of." Serena stated with a smile.

"And there's still your wrists and ankle..." Sammy offered.

"Yeah, that too." Serena admitted. "But Mani first!"

"I'll be right back then..." Taknisha stated. Then she left the room.

"So... who are you two?" Serena asked the black haired man, and the blond haired man.

"The blond guy is named Andrew. By the way, I'm sorry about your nose! And I don't know who the other guy is." Mina volunteered.

"You don't recognize him?" Andrew asked, pointing toward the black haired man.

"Nope." Mina and Serena said at the same time, both shaking their heads, though in opposite directions.

"He's Endymion." Andrew stated looking like he was expecting them to jump up in recognition.

Mina and Serena became silent, trying to remember why the name rang a bell.

Andrew, Endymion, Auquesta, and Sammy all stared at them in disbelief.

"Oh, hey, isn't Endymion the name of the Prince of the World?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, it is!" Mina confirmed. "At least you learned something!"

"That's what you told me on the ship on the way here." Serena reminded.

Mina shrugged.

Endymion was getting a slight smile on his face.

Serena and Mina looked over at him.

"Nice to meet you, your highness." They both said.

Andrew nearly fainted.

"What's wrong with him?" Mina asked.

"You're the first girls who haven't swooned at the sight of me. You're also, the only people who have not jumped up and bowed so low you could be eating dirt for all I know, as soon as you hear my name." Endymion explained.

Mina and Serena stared at each other.

"Then maybe we've done you some good." Serena told him with a smile.

Endymion's smile grew and he held back his laughter.

It was then that Taknisha arrived again and began to treat the girls remaining wounds.

No one noticed that it was dark outside. No one noticed that a black cat had gotten up on the outside windowsill of the room, and was watching them.

It jumped down and when it was sure that it was alone, jumped and did a somersault in the air. When she hit the ground, she wasn't the only thing that did.

A small dark blue compact computer clattered to the ground.

Luna opened it up and punched a few buttons.

Artemis's face appeared on screen.

"Artemis, I found them!" Luna told him excitedly.

"Found, 'them'?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, not just Ami, but Mina and the Princess!" Luna cried.

"YES!" Artemis cried.

His face left the screen for a moment as he did a leap of triumph in the air.

"Where?" He asked.

"In Japan! Tokyo. I'll follow them and keep an eye on them. I'll report regularly."

"Great! I'll report to Rei, and the Queen's! Thank you Luna! You're brilliant!"

The screen went dark, and as Luna closed her computer, she said smugly:

"I know I am!"


	8. Chapter 8

Keep Her Safe Chapter Eight

LadyPrin

Disclaimer applies.

Somewhere, shrouded in darkness, where the air was colder than space itself, evil gathered.

Thousands of red glowing eyes peered out of the darkness at one particular pair in the middle of the darkness.

"One of the Princess's guardian's has used her power." A voice said that belonged to the one set of eyes. Their black pupils dilated sharply. "She's somewhere in Tokyo, Japan, but I can't pinpoint her exact location. Her burst of power was too short. And too unexpected."

The eyes looked at one of the pairs that were looking at her from the darkness.

"You're attempt to capture the Princess and her guardian failed. Now, I must do it myself."

With that a portal opened up in the middle of the circle of darkness, just a few feet from the pair of eyes.

The eerie light from the portal illuminated the body that went with the eyes. The long reddish hair, the sickly purplish skin shined slightly, and her long dark purple dress that flowed down and into the darkness around her.

Queen Baryl stepped into the portal and the portal closed behind her.

"Artemis, Artemis!" Rei whispered frantically as she raced through the halls of the palace in England.

She was heading for the throne room, she didn't know why, but she knew that Artemis would be there. And she just had to talk to him.

When she finally reached the doors to the throne room, she prepared herself to use her shoulder to push through the right side door.

At the same time as she should've hit the door, it was opened from inside the room.

Rei saw the guard who had opened the door, but couldn't stop in time from hitting him. And he was too in shock at seeing her rushing at him, to move out of the way.

She hit him straight on, and they fell to the marble floor and skidded all the way across the room, to finally land right in front of Artemis.

Rei lifted her head off of the guards chest and looked at him worriedly.

"I'm soo sorry! Are you okay sir?" She asked.

"I'm. . . . fine, ma'am. . ." He said, as he sat up.

After he shook his head, he stood up and helped Rei to her feet.

He looked over at Queen Ikoku who was standing on the step just below her throne.

"Here she is, your highness..." He said with a slight smile.

Ikoku smiled broadly at him.

"Thank you, Yuko. You may go now." She said.

He bowed to the Queen, then to Rei, and left.

Rei looked to Artemis first.

"Mina, she-!"

Before she could finish there was a quick blinding flash of white light behind her.

It was there and gone in a second. Rei turned around to look, and saw Queen Serenity standing there.

Before Ikoku, Serenity, Artemis or Rei could say anything there was a red flash of light a few feet away from Queen Serenity.

"Fireia!" Serenity cried.

"Mother!" Rei cried.

Fireia nodded at Rei in acknowledgment with a smile, but walked quickly over to Serenity.

"I told you to stay in hiding. To stay safe!" Serenity told her sharply, yet quietly.

"I couldn't. Not with you leaving the moon, not with you vulnerable. And I felt Mina's power flare. I know we'll find the Princess soon, but I'm not going to sit around while you are putting yourself in danger just by being here!" Fireia replied.

"It'll be the death of you, I fear." Serenity said softly.

"Only if I let it!" Fireia replied with a fiery smile.

Serenity smiled and shook her head.

Then turned her attention to the rest of the room, as Fireia took up her post at her side.

With a bow of her head to Ikoku, she turned her gaze to Artemis.

"Report."

Artemis looked from Fireia to Serenity. Uncertainty in his eyes, but it was only there long enough for Rei to catch it. No one else did.

"I don't have much to report, apart from the fact that Luna is tracking Mina down. Luna was in Tokyo when the burst happened. She couldn't pinpoint it, but she's now looking for Mina and the Princess, as well as Ami." He explained. Or more like LIED!

Rei could tell he wasn't being truthful, but knew he had a reason.

She kept silent.

"Okay." Serenity said with a sigh. "The outers are almost done with their tasks."

"I have something to say." Ikoku interrupted.

"Yes?" Serenity asked.

"I sent a messenger to Tokyo, when the Serena was taken. I have since gotten word that the Royal's are searching the other countries for her. I shall send another message telling them that she's in Tokyo. They'll have a better chance in finding her now that they know where to look."

"Thank you, Ikoku! Thank you!"

"Would you like to have a room here, while we wait for word of Serena?" Ikoku asked Serenity and Fireia.

"Yes, that would be nice." Serenity thanked her. Fireia nodded.

A few minutes later when Rei and Artemis were alone in Rei's room, Rei confronted him.

"You know more than you're telling! What is it?" She asked, hands on her hips.

Artemis smiled ruefully.

"I knew you'd notice. Luna has found Mina."

Rei's eyes widened, as her hands fell away from her hips to hang limply at her side.

"I told you already, that Luna was in Tokyo trying to find Ami. Well, she was looking for any bursts of magic that Ami might do by accident, or purpose. Since she was in Tokyo, alert and waiting for it, she was able to pinpoint Mina's exact location. When she got there, she also found the Princess, and Ami." Artemis finished.

"They're all found?" Rei asked softly. She looked out her window, gazing into the distance yet, at the same time looking beyond it. "Now all we need to find is Lita. . ." She whispered.

Then she snapped her attention back to Artemis.

"But why didn't you tell the Queen and my mother? You lied outright to them!" She cried.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel the strangeness surrounding them?" Artemis asked. "You are the Sailor Scout of Fire and Passion! You feel these things whether the fire tells you, or the wind. Don't tell me you didn't sense anything! Look inside yourself!"

Rei sat down on her bed, and stared at the floor, thinking, feeling.

Now that she thought about it, she had felt something strange, something uncomfortable, coming from the two. She couldn't tell which one it was coming from, but she didn't like it.

She looked up at Artemis, understanding in her eyes.

"Now you know why I didn't tell them. And why I'm not going to tell either of them till I find out which one the strangeness comes from."

"Okay, but what are we going to do about Mina and Serena? What is Luna doing?" Rei asked.

"Luna is following the Princess. She's going to make sure that she knows the positions of all three girls. She'll report regularly to me, via the compact computer I told you about, that the Mercurian's created years ago. That way the enemy will not intercept them."

Artemis paused as he stared at Rei who was staring vacant eyed out the window.

Without warning she stood up and walked quickly over to the open window, and gripped the windowsill till her knuckles turned white.

She stared out the window, eyes closed. Listening. . .

Artemis sat there, tail wrapped around his feet, watching. . .

Rei sighed, then turned her head around sharply to look at him.

"We have to go to Tokyo, now, just us." She said.

Artemis stared at the floor, thinking.

"There might be a way. . . But it's tricky, and it might not work." Artemis explained.

"I'm willing. The wind told me we have to get to Serena now. She'll need us soon. And we don't know if we can trust my mother and the moon queen anymore." Rei replied.

"I'll do what I can." Artemis promised.

Artemis was on his little compact computer, but not to Luna.

"Setsuna, we need you to execute plan forty-nine." Artemis told her.

"Is it a must, Arty?" Setsuna asked, her head turning slightly to the left, her long green hair swaying.

"Yes." Artemis answered simply.

"Very well, get into position. I can only do this once."

Setsuna sighed as she positioned herself in a room with no one near it.

"I hope this works." She said as her planet symbol of Pluto appeared on her head.

In a flash of light she transformed into Sailor Pluto, and used her staff of Time to hit the stone floor three times.

"Pluto Portals Open All!" She chanted.

And everywhere, in every dimension, on every world, at every time, portals that lead to everywhere opened.

"Where are we?" Rei asked as she and Artemis stood still in a lavender and light pink cloud through which they could not see.

"We are in Pluto's home, just outside the Time Gate." Artemis replied. "Pluto shall open all the portals she has in her control, so as to confuse the enemy. We are waiting for Pluto to show us which one will take us to Tokyo."

Suddenly Pluto appeared in front of them.

She didn't say a word, just beckoned them to come with her, as she lead the way to the right portal.

Once Rei, holding Artemis tightly, had stepped through the portal, Pluto used her staff to close them all.

Then Pluto appeared back in London, as her Setsuna self, and looked at the sky.

"Good luck my friends!" She whispered.

Back in the palace in London, the women we know as Fireia, was standing with Queen Ikoku and Queen Serenity in Serenity's chambers, going over the message that Ikoku would soon be sending to the Royal's of Japan.

She lifted her head up at the same time as Serenity, as they both felt the power of Pluto flare up all around them.

Neither of them could sense where Pluto was, or who was going through what portal. They just knew that Pluto had opened all the portal's.

Serenity didn't know about plan forty-nine, so this was all unexpected to her.

Yet, she couldn't call Pluto, either physically or mentally to ask for an explanation, or else risk the enemy knowing. She knew she just had to trust Pluto's judgment. She sat back down and started talking with Ikoku, who took the sudden interruption in stride.

Unknown to Serenity, the enemy was in a state of confusion too.

Fireia's eyes moved erratically as she thought, trying to pinpoint which portals were in Tokyo. There were too many to keep watch over.

Silently, and without Serenity ever knowing, Fireia sent a mental message to her minions who where waiting in the darkness.

'Go to Tokyo, and start the war.'

The answers came back.

'Yes, Queen Baryl.'

'And do it. . . In England's name.' She added softly, all the while smiling pleasantly on the outside.


	9. Chapter 9

Keep Her Safe Chapter Nine

Lady Prin

Disclaimer applies.

"So, where are you staying, my ladies?" Endymion asked Serena and Mina.

Endymion, Serena, Mina, Andrew, and Sammy were standing outside of the medicine house, in the light of the half moon.

Serena's ankle, and her and Mina's wrists were now bandaged.

Serena didn't know how to answer Endymion's question, so she looked over at Mina.

Endymion followed her eyes and looked at Mina as well.

"I don't know." Mina answered with an un-lady-like shrug. "We came here on a slave ship. We were supposed to be sold, but we escaped. We have no place to stay at the moment."

"We've never been here before." Serena volunteered.

"Well then," Endymion said looking back at Serena. "You'll just have to stay at the palace."

Mina looked at him with wide eyes. Serena didn't even blink an eyelid.

"Okay."

Endymion and Mina exchanged questioning looks.

Serena's attention was on Sammy right now, who was talking with Aquesta.

"Please excuse me for a moment, my lord." Serena said with a slight curtsy to Endymion.

She walked over to Sammy.

"She's a weird one." Andrew said.

"And I'm attracted to that." Endymion told him with a slight smile.

Mina was looking between him and Serena with a sly look forming on her face.

"You know you should stay here, right?" Aquesta was asking Sammy as Serena came near.

"Yeah, I know. But I'd rather not. I'm a free spirit!" Sammy said, jabbing himself in the chest with a thumb.

Aquesta smiled.

"Excuse me." Serena interrupted.

They looked at her.

"Can I talk to you Sammy?" She asked.

"Sure!" Sammy said with a shrug.

As Aquesta began to go back inside, Serena stopped her.

"Thank you for everything!" She told her.

"You're welcome!" Aquesta replied.

And without knowing why, she leaned over to Aquesta's ear and whispered.

"Your true name is Ami."

And left her wide eyed, standing there.

She and Sammy walked a few feet away.

"I wanted to thank you!" Serena told him.

"You're welcome. I try to be a good citizen." Sammy said nodding his head.

Serena smiled.

"In case I don't see you again, I want to give you something to remember me by." Serena said running her figures through her hair. "I must've dropped it inside. Just a minute and I'll get it."

Sammy nodded and Serena ran back inside.

She retraced her steps and found the butterfly hair clip on the floor in the room that she had found Mina in.

As she was about to leave, she passed by a door that was open. Inside was an old women, with silver hair, lying asleep in a bed.

She didn't know why, but something made her go into that room.

She knelt at the edge of the bed, and touched the women's hand with her own right hand.

She could tell the women was dying. She had to be about ninety-two.

And the words just came to her.

'I call upon my forbidden birthright,' She thought. 'Help me to save this women. It is not her time.'

No light flared from her forehead, no crescent moon appeared there.

Just her hand glowed softly yellow, as her long dormant magic, flared up just enough to eradicate the disease that was ravaging her body.

In moments it was done, and the light died down.

Serena stared at the womens face for a moment.

The womens eyelids fluttered, then opened.

She looked at Serena with wide open eyes. She had dark blue, that reminded Serena of someone, though she couldn't name them.

Serena could tell the women knew what had happened.

Serena smiled, and raised a figure to her lips in a ssshhh-ing motion.

The women stared, then smiled, and nodded slightly.

Serena got up, and walked calmly out of the room, and back out into the night.

Sammy was still there, talking with Endymion, Andrew, and Mina.

"There you are. . . Rena." Mina said. She was still having trouble calling Serena, Rena.

Serena smiled at her, and went over to Sammy.

"Here you go!" She said happily presenting Sammy with the butterfly hair clip.

He gently took it and stared at it.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it with a ruish smile.

"Thanks!" He said.

Then a horse drawn carriage slowly rambled down the road.

"It's time to go, ladies." Andrew said, opening the door.

Serena and Mina looked at Endymion, waiting for him to get in first.

"First rule of edicit. Ladies first." Endymion said with a slight bow.

With a smile, and a goodbye to Sammy, they climbed on in.

As the carriage quickly made progress down the road, the girls fell asleep.

They woke up only when the carriage had stopped at the palace. Endymion and Andrew helped them to their rooms. The two girls didn't take in much of their surroundings.

They didn't bother about their clothes, they just fell into bed and went back to sleep.

When they woke up again, there was fresh clothes laid out on the foot of their beds, which they now realized, were huge canopy beds. Their linens were in soft colors of red, blue, and gold. The mid-morning light from a couple of windows set in the wall about waist high, shinned gently upon their beds, and fell upon their new clothes.

They hurried to put them on, talking to each other in dismay about how late they had slept.

Their new clothes were not dress, but kimonos, with pants instead of a skirt. Mina told Serena that it was kind of like a sign. A kimono with skirt, meant that the women was married. A kimono with pants meant that the women was single.

Their kimonos mirrored each other in color and design. They had pale blue, lavender, yellow, and pink swirls of color on them, and around the edges were embroidered pink flowers that Mina identified as Sakura Blossoms, or known in England as Cherry Blossoms.

They slipped their feet into soft slippers that also were embroidered with Sakura Blossoms.

They felt totally free without their long skirts to weigh them down.

They decided to take a look around.

They opened the door that led from their rooms into the corridor, but nobody was around.

"I wonder if this palace is just like the one back home?" Serena whispered to Mina as Mina closed the door behind them.

"All the palaces made in other countries mirror this one. Although they might be missing a few secret passageways, but other than that, they should be the same." Mina told her as they walked quietly down the corridor, looking at all the paintings of great landscapes.

"I wonder if they have that mural of the Moon Kingdom that we have in the study!" Serena wondered out loud.

"No, they don't." Mina informed her. "They don't even know about that mural, so don't tell them. Your parents didn't tell them when they made it, so they were breaking the rules. The Royal's commanded that any changes to any of the palaces has to be agreed to by them."

"Oh. Drat." Serena sighed.

'Besides,' Mina continued in thought. 'That mural was made for you. And to remind Ikoku and Kenji of who you really were, and of the heritage you would one day inherit.'

They had come to a staircase now. A big one, with a railing thick enough for them to slide down on, if Mina and Serena had not been Princesses.

But of course, they were pretending not to be. Therefore, with a mischievous glance between them, they hopped on and basically flew down the banister. Since they weren't wearing skirts, their ride went faster than it had ever gone before when they had done it at home.

Serena was behind Mina, so without making a sound Serena let go of the railing with her hands, and flung them out to the sides, like as if she had wings, for she felt like she had.

"Uh, oh." Mina cried.

Serena opened her eyes, and looked down below. They were to land in the big room just inside the door to the palace. But that wasn't what Mina worried about.

Endymion, Andrew and an old man servant had just come through, and were now staring up at them as they slid down.

Serena and Mina blushed terribly. But they decided that if they were to be punished, they might as well make their landing their best one yet.

With great skill accumulated from long years of practice, Mina and Serena stood up on their slippered feet, holding their arms out for balance. Back home, they used to do this bare foot. Their feet eventually got hot and sore, but they were only going to do this once... not thirty like last time.

As they flew off the end of the railing, they jumped, brought their knees to their chest for a moment, and then put their feet upon the smooth marble floor, heel first. They leaned back and let the force of their ride slide them across the room. To land neatly in a pair right in front of Endymion, Andrew and the servant.

Acting like they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary, they curtsied.

"Thank you for the new clothes. They feel much better than the old ones!" Serena exclaimed.

"Yes, very much." Mina said.

They stood their watching the three mens expressions as their faces were still in shock.

The man servant recovered first.

"Well, sir." He said in a gravelly sort of voice as he turned to the Prince. "I do believe your record for the greatest banister slider has just been broken. By two young girls." He added with a devilish smile. Then he scuttled away faster than an eighty-seven year old man should scuttle.

Andrew hid his face behind his gloved hand, trying not to laugh. Endymion looked from where the man servant had disappeared, over to Andrew, then back to the girls.

Then he broke out laughing.

"I guess it has. Nobody'd ever thought that was possible." Then coughing slightly to stop his laughter, he said, "Maybe in celebration of this unexpected event, you'll dine with us in the great hall? I know it's mid-morning, but we just arrived and haven't had time to eat breakfast."

"We slept in and haven't had breakfast either." Mina replied.

"So that's a yes!" Chirped Serena.

Still laughing, Endymion and Andrew lead the way to the dinning hall, with Serena and Mina on their arms.

Over a dinner of bacon, eggs, toast, and some kind of juice drink that nobody seemed to remember the name of, but which tasted quite good, Endymion asked where they had learned to slide like that.

But before they could answer, (which was a good thing, cause they didn't have an answer) a soldier in a green uniform entered the hall.

With a deep bow to the Prince, he informed him, that he had good news, and bad.

"By all means tell." The Prince said with a smile. "Good news first. I want my good mood to last as long as possible."

"Your great grandmother has sent word." The soldier began.

"How is she?" Endymion asked, his brow creased in concern.

"She told me to tell you this, in the exact same way as she told it to me." The soldier said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well!" The Prince demanded. 'Good news?' He thought. 'How can there be any good news? My great grandmother is dying in--'

His thoughts were quickly cut short, as the soldier walked a few feet away from the table, then turned around. He was turning red, form the collar of his tunic all the way up to his brown, slightly graying hair.

He took a breath, steading himself. . .

The others watched him, holding their breaths. . .

"I FEEL SIXTY AGAIN! WOOHOO!" The soldier shouted, jumping up and down. Then he did a couple of cartwheels down the hall, then came back doing back flips.

Then he became still again, his face becoming stony.

"Grandmother did that?" Endymion whispered. "She can't-- I didn't know she could--" He stuttered.

"I didn't know he could." Andrew stated pointing at the stone still soldier.

"I had to practice a full day, before I could deliver that message." The soldier informed them.

"But she was--?" Endymion started to say.

"Dying?" The soldier asked him. "I don't know what happened, maybe it was the Moon Goddess Serenity, I don't know, she wouldn't tell me. All I know is what I saw! And I nearly fainted." He muttered softly.

"How old is your grandmother?" Serena asked.

"Ninety-eight." Endymion explained, looking at her with wide dark blue eyes. Serena could see the happiness starting to build there. Then she remembered that she had seen those same blue eyes in the old women she had helped back at the medicine house. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later. "She was dying of a disease nobody could name, and nobody could treat. The medicine women told me to expect her to live only two more days. I was visiting her last night when Andrew brought in Mani." Endymion finished.

Then he turned back to the soldier.

"Erin, what was the medicine womens reaction?" He asked.

"She did faint." Erin stated. "And that girl Aquesta couldn't revive her for hours. Nobody knows what happened and your great grandmother will not tell."

Endymion sat there, a huge smile growing on his face.

"Alright! Nothing can stop my good mood now!" He shouted. Everyone at the table was smiling. "Now, the bad news!"

Erin's face was grim.

"We just got a messenger an hour ago from England." Serena and Mina looked at him with intense interest. "Kenji and Ikoku Tuskino, caretakers of England for your Highnesses, has declared war upon Japan." Everybody lost their smile. "They claim that they know we have stolen their daughter, the Princess Serena, and will stop at nothing to get her back." Erin finished.

"What were you saying, about nothing spoiling your good mood?" Andrew asked Endymion.

"Maybe I was wrong." Endymion corrected.


	10. Chapter 10

Keep Her Safe Chapter Ten

Lady Prin

Disclaimer Applies.

"Some thing's wrong." Mina whispered to Serena.

They were standing in the open courtyard. Prince Endymion had left them there to go and gather his troops and ready them for battle. He had promised to return to them in a few hours. Three hours had gone by, and they were expecting him any moment.

"I know. My parents wouldn't do something like that." Serena responded. "They're against war, just like they are against slavery."

"What can we do about it?" Mina asked. "Without giving away who we are?"

"You don't trust Endy?" Serena asked.

"Endy!? You're calling him Endy now?" Mina asked wide-eyed. "He's the Prince of the World!!!"

"And I'm a Princess!" Serena retorted. "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna' call him that to his face! Or in public! Anyway, back to the problem. I doubt he's going to take us along into battle, but I'm still going to ask."

Before Mina could reply, Endymion arrived.

"I'm sorry I'm so late!" He said breathlessly. He was dressed in full black armor, with a sword hanging at his side. "The troops are due to leave in a few minutes."

"Can we come with you?" Serena asked without hesitation.

Mina cringed at her bluntness. Endymion looked at her surprised.

"Why would you want to?" He asked wide-eyed.

Serena really didn't have an answer for that that wouldn't give her away.

"Well," She started.

"Because she just wants to. . ." Mina muttered, looking in the opposite direction, while scratching her neck.

Serena stuck her tongue out at her.

But when Mina glanced at her, Serena was looking away, tongue back in her mouth.

Endymion smiled slightly.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't let you." He replied. "Women don't belong in war." Mina glowered at him, but if he noticed her didn't show it. "Besides, do you either of you know how to fight?"

Mina looked down, while Serena looked up. Neither replied to that.

"See? You wouldn't last five minutes out there!" Endymion stated. "No, you'll stay here in the palace where it's safe till I return. We have allot to talk about." He looked directly at Serena, who looked back at him with wide-blue eyes, her head tilted down slightly.

"I told you he say no." Mina told Serena.

"You never said any such thing!" Serena replied.

Mina blinked.

"Well, I meant to." She said.

Endymion was trying hard not to smile right now.

Two guards walked up to them then.

Endymion was thankful for the interruption.

"These guards will take you back to your rooms."

"Okay." Serena said. "But we won't stay here."

"Oh, really?" Endymion asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I mean yes." Serena said defiantly. "Even locked up in the highest tower, it won't stop us! We'll be at the site of the battle field by the time you get there!"

"We will?" Mina asked, looking at her.

Serena stepped on her foot.

"We will." Mina stated, looking away.

"Well, it just so happens that your rooms are in the highest tower, though not intentional. That's where the guest rooms are. Also, I'll make sure that my best guards in the palace will be at your door, both to get you what you need, and to keep you in the palace."

"Won't work."

"Why won't it? How will you get out of the palace unnoticed?" Endymion asked.

"I don't know yet." Serena admitted. "But we have resources."

"What resources?" Mina asked, looking at her.

Serena stepped on her foot again.

"Oh, those resources." Mina stated, looking away.

By this time the two guards have backed away, in an effort not to hear anymore, or else they will start laughing. Sadly, they are still able to hear every word.

"Well, I'll make a promise to you, Lady Rena." Endymion said. "If you do manage to get out of the palace, if you do make it to the battle field before we do, and if you are there for more than five minutes, then I'll let you stay at the camp."

"Deal!" Serena accepted.

"It is?!" Mina asked incredulously.

And before Serena even had time to raise her foot off the ground.

"It is." Mina said, stepping away from Serena.

"She's catching on." Endymion said with a smile at Serena.

Mina glared at him, while Serena smiled at him smugly.

Then they notice that someone is trying to muffle laughter as coughing. They look toward the guards who are doubled over in fits of mirth.

"Guards!" Endymion called.

They stood straight backed and at attention. But their shoulders still shook with silent laughter.

"Take these girls to their rooms, please." Endymion commanded.

"Yes, my Lord!" They both saluted, and then bowed slightly to the girls, motioning for them to follow.

As they started to walk away, Serena stopped and turned to look back at Endymion.

"And if we do manage to do all this," She started. "Will you please stop calling us girls?"

"I promise." Endymion said.

"Thank you." Serena said with a nod.

Then she turned and walked down the garden path, straight backed, head held high, walking like she was floating. Just as her mother taught her.

For a minute they all saw her as the Princess she was. A glorious sight.

That is, until she tripped over her own feet, and landed with a 'umf!' on the cobblestone walk.

Mina's eyes went wide and she rushed over to Serena's side.

Endymion and the two guards were on their way, but stopped when Serena stood up, waving off Mina's helping hand, and dusted herself off. Then she continued down the path.

"Come on! I wanna' be out of this place and gone by tonight!" She yelled back.

Mina started walking slowly back wards, looking at Endymion with an exasperated facial expression.

"Sorry." She finally said with a shrug, and ran to catch up with Serena and the two guards.

"They scare me." Andrew muttered over Endymion's shoulder.

Endymion looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.

"I didn't hear you come up." He stated.

"I know. You were too caught up in promising them things I'm not sure you should've." Andrew said, with a worried expression.

"You think they can get out of the highest tower, find out where the battle is going to take place, and get there at least five minutes before we do, when we are leaving right now?" Endymion asked. "We'll be there by tomorrow at noon. They won't make it there five minutes before we do."

"You hope! Remember Mani healing her own ankle?" Andrew asked.

"I can do that!" Endymion stated. "With the power of the Earth, for it flows in my veins, as my mother puts it all the time." He muttered. "Anyway, even if they were stupid enough to try to climb the tower walls down, they won't get more than half way down. Helios's enchantment will see to that."

"You have more faith in that enchantment stuff then I do." Andrew stated.

"You're a man of war, Andrew. You know how to use swords and strategies, and you understand them. Helios understands magic, just like you understand swords and strategy. Besides, I've already told him to keep a watch on the girls, and report to me if they try anything."

With that Endymion started walking in the opposite direction from where the girls were heading.

"Come on. War's awaiting." Endymion said grimly.

"Okay, what's your questions?" Serena asked Mina as the door to their room was closed, and locked.

"I'm afraid to ask them." Mina said pout-idly, taking her weight off her right foot.

Serena giggled.

"Don't worry. You can ask freely here. Just be quick."

"First of all, how do you plan on getting out of this tower?"

"Climb down."

"Right. . . ."

"Remember when we used to do it all the time?"

"Yeah, up until you fell from a forty story tower!!! Broke an arm, a leg, and about five ribs!"

"But I still lived, and nothing was permanent."

"Yeah, but. . . "

"There's a reason why I lived."

"What?"

"Magic."

Mina stared at her in shock.

"What?" She whispered.

"When I was falling, I heard a voice in my head. It was a calm voice, neutral. It told me to say a certain phrase. I did. In doing so, I managed to cushion my fall. Enough so that when I hit the ground, I bounced, and didn't break anything vital like my neck."

"A voice. . . "

"Yes. That voice, though I only heard her once, gave me a way to use powers I didn't know I had. I altered the phrase whenever I needed to use magic, to match what I needed from it."

"What was the phrase?" Mina asked.

"I call upon my forbidden birthright."

Mina sat down on the bed with a thump.

"I think I can now make since out of a dream I had a long time ago." Serena came and sat down beside Mina. "I told Rei about it, she thought it was just a nightmare. But I think it's something more than that. For one thing, I heard a women say that she was taking away my birthright, until she saw fit to give it back. At the time I thought the women might be taking away my birthright as Princess of England. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to take care of my people, when my parents stepped down. But I see now, that women meant magic! But though it may be forbidden to me, I still can use it. And I plan on using it, to stop this war!"

Serena took Mina's hands in her own.

"I know you have magic too, I saw you use it when you healed your ankle. Maybe you can help me with my magic, learn to use it better."

Mina stared at her with fearful eyes.

"I can't." Mina whispered. "I can't use my magic without something terrible happening. That's why I haven't used it for over eleven years. I know it may not seem like anything bad happened when I healed my ankle, but it did. Trust me, it did! And I don't know why nothing bad happened when you use your magic, for it should've. I can't teach you anything of magic, not right now."

"It's okay, I'll learn as I go." Serena assured her.

"I wish Rei was here." Mina wined. "Or better yet, Ami."

"Ami? Isn't that the name of the girl at the medicine shop?"

"No, her name was Aquesta. Though, she did look like Ami. But it's been years since I last saw Ami."

"Hmmmm. Lita mentioned you, Rei, and an Ami when I first met her. She said she'd gotten separated from her before you and Rei came to the palace."

"I'm not even sure your Lita is the same Lita I know."

"I think she is. And I trust her! But anyway, I told Aquesta that her real name was Ami."

"You did? How'd you figure that?"

"She just looked like an Ami to me. . ." Serena shrugged at a loss for words.

"Well, anyway. If we're leaving, we should go now."

They stood up and walked to the window.

"We'll climb down as far as we can. Then we'll jump." Serena explained.

"Right." Mina replied.

First Serena started climbing down, then Mina followed.

They were a fourth of their way down, when the guards poked their heads out the window.

"That won't work!" One of them yelled.

"We're trying it anyway!" Mina yelled back.

The two guards just watched them as they continued their climb down.

About half way down, they kept moving, but they were going nowhere.

"He's right. This isn't working." Mina told Serena.

"Now we jump." Serena told her.

Serena reached her hand up to Mina, and Mina took her hand.

"Now." They both whispered.

And they jumped.


	11. Chapter 11

Recap:

They stood up and walked to the window.

"We'll climb down as far as we can. Then we'll jump." Serena explained.

"Right." Mina replied.

First Serena started climbing down, then Mina followed.

They were a fourth of their way down, when the guards poked their heads out the window.

"That won't work!" One of them yelled.

"We're trying it anyway!" Mina yelled back.

The two guards just watched them as they continued their climb down.

About half way down, they kept moving, but they were going nowhere.

"He's right. This isn't working." Mina told Serena.

"Now we jump." Serena told her.

Serena reached her hand up to Mina, and Mina took her hand.

"Now." They both whispered.

And they jumped.

Keep Her Safe Chapter Eleven

By LadyPrin

Disclaimer applies.

"They jumped!" One of the guards cried.

"They couldn't have! Nobody's that stupid!" The second one said. "Or that desperate. . ." He added as an afterthought.

The first guard made like as if he was going to jump after them.

The second one grabbed him by the arm.

"Are you nuts! Jumping after them won't do any good! You'll just be in the same position they are!"

"You're right." The first one sighed. "The Prince is going to kill us." He added depressingly as he watch the girls continue to fall.

The second one thought for a moment.

"Maybe jumping after them, isn't such a bad idea after all." He said grimly.

Mina was so scared that she was holding Serena's hand way too tightly. Serena's hand was turning white.

But Serena just ignored the pain, then ignored the numbness. She had something else on her mind.

'I call upon my forbidden birthright, help us survive this fall. I call upon my forbidden birthright, help us survive this fall.' Serena chanted that sentence over and over again, as they continued to fall.

They fell, and they fell. It seemed like they fell for an eternity to both the girls and the guards.

Then suddenly the ground was there!

Mina and the guards flinched instinctively. But Serena stared at the ground, still chanting.

But before they even hit the ground, they hit something else.

It felt like a big bubble of air.

They went into it alittle ways, and it knocked the breath out of them, but then they were flung back up into the air at an angle.

"What happened?" Mina cried.

"I'm not sure!" Serena yelled back, as rushing air filled her ears.

They had been flung with such momentum that they went higher than their tower room window.

The guards were in such shock. Their mouths were hanging open as they watch the girls progress through the air.

Mina managed to think through her fear, and realized something.

"Serena!" She cried, as they began to fall back down.

Serena looked up at her. Her hair was coming out of it's braid and billowing around her face.

"If we can do that again, we can direct our falls through the garden, and over the palace wall!" Mina yelled, pointing. "It'd save us allot of work!"

Serena's eyes went wide with understanding.

"Right!" She replied.

And that's what they did.

With each time they hit the air bubble, they were flung up at an angle, which they made to go in the direction of the palace wall. With each time they were flung up, they lost some speed. But they still had enough hight to make it to the top of the wall when they came to it.

Though only barely.

They went to bounce over the wall, but landed instead on top of it. They rolled off and fell to the ground.

This time they hit the ground.

Since the wall was three stories high, they hit the ground with allot of force.

Serena was still chanting, so they weren't killed, and nothing major was broken.

But they did come away with a couple of broken noses, bruised ribs, and allot of cuts and scraps.

Mina sat up, holding her bleeding nose.

"Okay, now what?" She said.

Serena sat up too, holding her nose as well.

"Well, I thing we should go to Ami's." She said.

"Okay." Mina replied.

And they made quick progress into the city, mingling with the crowd.

"Ami, you should go to sleep, it's been a tiring day for us both." Mistress Taknisha said to Ami, who was sitting on her bed looking out her window, still fully dressed.

"I know I should, but I just can't." Ami replied. "I feel like something big is about to happen. Something that I've been waiting for my entire life to happen. I just don't know what. But I feel like I should be ready for it when it does."

Taknisha sighed.

"Well, at least get dressed for bed." She told her.

"Okay." Ami replied.

"Goodnight then dear."

"Goodnight, Mistress Taknisha."

When the door was closed, Ami went back to staring out the window.

She immediately forgot to put on her night gown.

When they entered the medicine house for the second time, it was quieter than it had been when they left.

In fact, it was deserted.

They stood in the middle of the room for some time, wondering what to do.

"Rena?" A voice whispered from the dark beside a desk on their left.

"Sammy?" Serena whispered back.

Sammy came to them, but stopped short when he saw their bleeding noses and bruising skin.

"What the heck happened?" Sammy cried. "If those men hurt you, I SWEAR, even if he is the prince of the world, I'll teach him a thing or two!" He ranted.

"No, Sammy. They didn't do dis." Serena told him. "Dey don't even know about it."

"Good. Then what happened?"

"We fell." Mina said.

Sammy looked at her incredulously.

"From our tower room window." Mina added.

"Oh." He said looking at her, not sure if what she said was true.

Then he frowned, thinking: 'They should be dead, if that happened. . .'

But then he sat that thought aside, and told them to wait there.

He went upstairs to get Ami.

He found her with her head on her arms, leaning on the window sill. Fast asleep.

He touched her shoulder lightly, and she jumped half way into the air.

"What?" She cried.

Sammy flinched slightly.

"I'm sorry Sammy." Ami said softly, brushing some of her blue bangs out of her eyes. "I'm just jittery."

"Well, Rena and Mani are downstairs." Sammy told her.

"It'd be nice to see them again." Ami muttered, swinging her legs off of the bed, and stretching them out.

"But they're noses are broken and they're bruised all over." Sammy continued.

Ami paused in her stretching, to stare at him.

"How?" She asked.

"I don't know." Sammy replied.

Then Ami was off that bed and through the door, with Sammy hot on her heels.

After they were bandaged up, and their noses quit bleeding, the girls and Sammy sat at the table in the kitchen drinking hot steaming mugs of chocolate. A real treat considering chocolate was so expensive. This batch had been delivered just that morning, in gratitude for the prince's grandmother being so well, so soon.

Serena and Mina had just finished telling Ami and Sammy about they're deal with the prince, and about getting out of the tower. Though they did leave out the magic parts, or twisted it alittle to make it non magical.

"But why would you want to go to a battle field? Why would you want such a thing?" Ami asked.

"You do know that the battle will be between Japan and England right?" Mina asked.

"Yes. . ." Ami replied.

"Well, England is our home!" Serena replied. "And we know that the King and Queen would not do something like this. We don't think it's really England that the prince's army will be battling. And we want to some how stop the war."

"Stop the war. . . " Ami quoted quietly. She shook her head, and took a sip of chocolate.

"That's impossible!" Sammy cried. "There's no way that you two girls could stop a war! No way!"

"Like my mother used to say," Mina said. "anything is possible, if you just believe."

/nock/nock/nock/

"I wonder who that is." Ami muttered as she got up and went to the door.

When she opened it she found a long black haired, violet eyed girl, holding two cats in her arms, standing on the front steps.

"May I help you?" Ami asked.

The black cat climbed it's way to the girl's shoulder.

"Maybe." The girl replied.

"Are you hurt?" Ami asked.

"No." The girl replied. "I'm looking for someone."

"Well, I know half the city here. Please come in."

The girl stepped through the door, and as Ami quietly closed it, whispered: "Thank you, Ami."

The door shut with a thump!

Ami swiveled around to stare at the girl.

"Okay, this is really freaking me out! For the last eleven years of my life, I haven't had a clue who I was, now here you are! The third person in the last three days who's called me Ami! What is going on!"

"Who are the other two?" Rei asked urgently.

"Two girls whom I've come to like and admire. But I've also come to the conclusion that they're nuts! They're sitting in my kitchen plotting to stop a war." Ami gestured toward the kitchen.

The cats jumped from Rei's arms and ran toward the kitchen, with Rei hot on their heels. After a moment, Ami followed.

When they got to the doorway, they heard Mina's voice, urgently pleading with Serena.

"Please don't do this, Rena! I beg of you!"

Serena was getting ready to cook something on the stove.

"Don't worry so much Mani." Serena said calmly. "I know what I'm doing this time. And please be quiet, Mistress Taknisha is still asleep."

"Well, she's about to get a rude awakening when you blow up the kitchen!" Mina whispered furiously.

"I won't this time! I promise."

Mina looked around worriedly, and spotted Rei.

"Fireia! You found us!" She quietly cried.

Serena turned around and looked at her.

"Hey! I'm so glad to see you!"

Mina ran to Rei and pulled her by the arm into the kitchen.

"Please talk Rena out of this! She's got this strange notion that she's going to cook something!"

Rei held up both hands in the defensive gesture.

"Please, Rena, put down the pot! Please don't do this! You know that the last two times you tried to cook, you blew up the kitchen, and you made something that acted like fire!"

"I know!"

But still she kept on cooking.

Rei looked at Mina's crestfallen face.

"I'm sorry Mani. There is nothing I can do."

Rei pulled her over and sat her down on the far side of the table, beside Sammy. Who was finding this amazingly funny.

Rei then sat down beside Mina, and Ami slowly came in and sat down beside Rei.

Luna and Artemis sat down in front of the table looking up at Serena as she worked.

Serena started humming something as she worked.

Every few minutes she would put something into the pot, and everybody at the table except Sammy would flinch.

Then she added who knew what to it and ducked.

Everyone ducked, except Sammy, as the stuff in the pot exploded with a PUFF!

Serena straitened up, and proceeded to act like nothing had happened. The pot was still in one piece, as well as whatever was in it.

Ami, Rei, and Mina slowly came up from below the table, and proceeded to watch her.

After twenty-seven minutes of this, Serena took the pot off the stove, and as it started to melt, she quickly put what was in it, into a steel container that she had found in a cabinet.

"There!" She said when she was finished.

The others sighed with relief that the house was still standing, but watched nervously as the pot melted completely.

Serena looked at it for a minute.

Then she looked at the others.

"Sorry, about that. But I had to make this stuff! We might need it on the battle field!"

She came over to the table and sat down the container.

Everyone, including Sammy, watched it nervously. Waiting for the container to melt. It didn't.

"I left out the tuna, and I left out the noodles." Serena said.

Mina and Rei looked up at her sharply.

"It's THAT!" They asked.

"Yes! I'm calling my invention, Acid!" Serena said happily. "We might need it!"

Rei and Mina looked at each other. Then slowly started to grin.


	12. Chapter 12

Keep Her Safe Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer Applies

Lady Prin

"Why's it called Acid?" Sammy asked.

"Because of the sound it makes when it burns through stuff." Serena explained.

All at once they heard asssssssssssssit.

Mina quickly pushed her chair over while trying to get her legs out from under the table. Her legs had been right underneath the container. And a drop of acid had fallen from the lip of it, to the table, burned through the table, and landed on the dirt floor underneath. Mina had gotten her legs out just in time.

"How's it staying in there without burning through the container?" Mina asked as she got up off the floor.

"You know how." Serena said calmly.

"No I don't." Mina said looking at her.

"Yes, you do." Serena said looking at her sharply.

"No. Really, I don't." Mina answered, with a confused face.

Serena sighed, as Rei, Ami, Luna, Artemis, and Sammy watched this failed attempt to exchange information.

"Yes, you DO!" Serena said a bit more forcefully. And for good measure- "How did we get out of the tower?"

"We fell." Mina said simply.

"And how did we survive the fall?"

"We-- OH!" Mina answered. She finally got it.

"You've got to explain to me what just happened here." Rei said. "But first thing's first. Ami said that you girls were plotting to stop a war?"

"Yes." Serena pipped up.

"A war between whom, may I ask?"

"Japan and England supposedly." Mina said.

Rei and the cats looked at her sharply.

"But we just came from England! Faster than you did, it only took us a few mi- hours to get here! England wasn't planning a war with anybody! Sure they found that the Princess was in Japan, but they sent somebody to tell Japan and see if they could search around for her! Besides! Queen Ikoku and King Kenji would NEVER want to go to war with anybody!" Rei cried.

"That's why we want to stop them!" Serena said. "It's not England Japan is going to war with! But whoever they are up against is using England's name! This might destroy England before Japan realizes anything is wrong! So we're going to try and stop the war."

Rei paused for a moment.

"Great! I'm up for it!" She burst out enthusiastically.

Ami looked at her sharply.

"You must be related to them."

Rei looked at her dolefully.

"No. I don't really want to go. But I know that I won't be able to change Rena's mind. Not when she's like this. So," She continued. "How do we get to the battle field?"

"I'm not sure." Serena paused. "I don't know where it is."

"It's on one of the not so populated islands north of us. You'd have to take a ship or boat to get there. That's how the Prince and his troops are getting there. They had to take three large ships." Ami broke in.

"How long would it take them to get there?" Mina asked.

"Let's see, they left around mid-day? They'll get there around tomorrow at noon. If the weather holds well." Ami replied.

Serena sat on the floor, legs crossed, thinking hard.

The others leaned over the side of the table to look at her.

Serena opened her eyes, and looked at Ami.

"Just estimate, theoretically, how long it would take for two horses to get from here to the island, running, if the ocean was land." Serena said.

Ami frowned slightly in concentration.

"If they left soon, they might get there a little behind or at the same time as the ships. Once again, if the weather holds up."

"If only we had two horses. . ." Serena muttered.

"You can't be serious?" Ami asked. "The ocean is not land! Horses would never make it!"

Serena looked her in the eyes and said softly:

"They would with me."

Ami felt that what she said was true. So true, that Ami couldn't find it in her heart to disbelieve her.

Ami blinked.

"I can buy you a couple horses." She offered. "I have a friend down the street who has some."

"Great!" Serena said happily. "It's settled then."

Rei and Mina looked at each other with a worried expression.

As Serena started packing up some food, and Rei and Mina talked quietly in a corner of the room, Ami sat down at the table with a piece of paper in from of her and a pen in her hand.

"Dear Mistress Taknisha," She began.

"You remember how I had told you earlier about feeling like something big was going to happen soon? Well, it's happened. Rena and Mani, there's more to them.

Especially, Rena.

I'm leaving with them tonight. We're going to try to stop a war.

I may not be coming back, so I wanted to thank you for everything! And please take care of Sammy! He's really a good boy.

Love,

Aqu--"

She paused.

Then scratched out "Aqu" and wrote "Ami" instead.

Writing that name, felt right.

She folded up the paper and left it on the table.

"But I want to go too!" Sammy cried.

"No, you have to stay here." Ami stated firmly.

"Rena?" Sammy turned to Rena with pleading eyes.

Rena glanced at Ami, then walked over to Sammy and knelt in front of him.

She gently took his hands in hers.

"You need to stay here, Sammy." She began. Before he could reply she added.

"There's someone coming here, looking for us. You need to be here to meet her."

She hugged him and quickly whispered in his ear.

"Her name will be Lita. And you'll need to be able to take her to us. My name, is Serena."

She pulled away from him, and with a smile turned to walk out the door.

Leaving Sammy standing there wide eyed and stunned.

"It's going to rain, isn't it?" Mina asked softly. The others could tell she wasn't looking forward to it.

It was around midnight, and they were standing on the shores of the island. The ones pointing straight for the island where the war was to be held.

They had purchased two horses rather quickly, Ami having known the seller personally. They were both males. One was pure black, and one was pure brown. They were two well built horses, very well cared for, and could hold two people each.

Which was perfect for what Serena had in mind.

"Everyone, on their horse." Serena said softly.

As they seated themselves upon their horses it began raining.

Serena was on the brown one, with Mina behind her.

Rei was on the black one with Ami behind her.

Ami held a bag that held food, the container of acid and the two cats. Ami could tell you, Luna and Artemis weren't too happy at being in the same space with the acid.

"What do we do now?" Ami yelled at Serena through the lightening and thunder. The rain plastered her blue hair onto her face, and made the blue seem almost black.

"Just follow me, stay close, and be quiet." Serena instructed.

Then she reined her horse in, turned to face the rolling waters, and started her horse galloping toward it.

Without hesitation, Rei followed with Ami holding on tightly around her waist.

As they reached the waters edge, Serena's horse leaped up as she started muttering something underneath her breath. Rei's horse leaped as well.

When they both came down, they didn't slosh into the water, as Rei and Ami half expected. Instead they were galloping across the water like as if it was solid ground.

They ran through the night like the wind, and soon caught up to the Prince's ships.

The ships were having immense trouble with their sails. A couple of their big sails had been torn already, and a couple of solders had been thrown overboard.

Serena, still muttering softly, motioned for them and their horses to ride to where the fallen men were flailing about in the water.

Mina held onto the back of Serena's clothes, as Serena leaned over the side of the horse and pulled the man from the raging water. Rei mimicked her with the other man.

The men acted like they couldn't see the girls, as the girls hauled them over the backs of their horses.

All three ships went silent as they watched their comrades basically float above the water over to the side of the ship.

Then someone aboard ship had enough presence of mind to drop a rope over the side.

Serena and Rei helped the scared men to grab hold of the rope, then let them go as they started to climb.

As the men were being helped aboard, the girls resumed their flight toward land.

When they reached the shore of the island, it had stopped raining and the storm was moving on. All four girls were soaked to the bone, though Ami was the only one who wasn't shivering.

"That was great!" Ami said breathlessly, as all four girls climbed stiffly down off of their horses. "I don't know how we did that, but that was great! Did you hear the ocean? It was like, singing to us! And did you see the dolphins? I had only seen them in books, I never thought I'd see them for real! Wow!!!"

Ami hugged Serena very tightly.

"Thank you, Rena! Thank you!"

Serena laughed.

"You're welcome Ami. Though it seems you're the only one of us who isn't frozen."

Ami stood still for a moment.

"I'm not cold." She confirmed.

"Well, I'm cold, and I'm stiff." Rei complained. Then she squinted toward the horizon from whence they had come. The sun was just rising, turning everything orange, pink, and red. "And I see the ships. We outdistanced them, because the storm was causing them problems, but they're coming now."

"We'd better start moving." Serena told them.

"I'm not getting back on that horse." Rei stated, glaring at Serena.

"Okay, you can walk. Looks like you need to anyway." Serena said cheerfully as she pushed the reins of Rei and Ami's horse into Rei's hands.

They then continued their journey into the grassy hills of the island.

'Tokyo docks. . . very crowded. Lots of ships. . .but which one is the right one?'

A tall girl with reddish brown hair wove her way through the crowds at Tokyo's dock.

She looked at all the ships that were parked, but they all looked the same.

Very suddenly, she was grabbed by the arm from behind.

Lightening flashed in her eyes, as she whirled around, twisted the mans arm around, and only stopped when she heard a satisfying snap.

The man yelled in pain, and cursed her as he ran for his life.

But the girl was already walking away, like nothing had happened.

"Miss?" A small voice spoke.

The girl looked around, and finally spotted the person the voice belonged to. It was a boy of about twelve, with short brown hair. He looked dirty, and skinny, but alive and alert.

"Are you talking to me?" The girl asked.

"Yes." The boy nodded.

The girl knelt down in front of him.

"What?" She asked.

He stared at her for a moment.

"Are you. . . Lita?" He asked.

The girl's eyes went wide.

"Yes." She replied in barely a whisper.

The boy smiled.

"I'm to lead you to someone. Follow me."

He took her hand and lead Lita to a small boat set apart from the bigger ships. It was only big enough to seat two people. Three, if they sat tightly packed together.

"Climb in!" The boy bid her.

As she carefully climbed in the boat, untied the boat from the dock, unrigged the main sail (in fact, the only sail), and started paddling away from shore. For a destination only he could see.

"Where are you taking me?" Lita asked him.

"To an island where a war is to be held. I'm taking you to see Serena." He replied.

A smile lit Lita's face, but within a moment it faded.

"What would Serena be doing in a war?" She asked him.

"She and three others are going to try and stop it." He replied.

"Who are the three others?" She asked.

The boy thought for a moment.

"Mani, Fireia, and Aquesta."

'I know Fireia. She's Rei's mother, but what would she be doing here?' Lita thought.

The answer came to her. 'She would be here herself, if something happened to Rei. What happened to Rei?!'

"Oh." The boy continued. "My name is Sammy."

A couple of hours into the ride, the wind had died down, but the rain and the thunder kept on.

'This isn't a natural storm.' Lita thought as she helped Sammy to rid the boat of water.

"We need wind to fill the sails if we are to have any hope of making it to the island to help the girls!" Sammy yelled through the storm.

"I might be able to help." Lita yelled back.

She held onto the mast as she closed her eyes.

Her thoughts reached out through time and space, to somewhere in England.

'Amora. . . The Princess needs me. . . Can you send the wind to help me?'

Somewhere in England, walking down a street, a tall young women with short blond hair stopped in her tracks.

'Lita?' She thought.

'Yes.' Came the reply.

'Where have you been? Where are you now?' Amora started to ask.

'I can't talk now. At the moment I'm caught in an unnatural storm. But the wind isn't blowing. Could you help me?'

'Yes. Just a minute.'

Amora (aka Sailor Uranus) reached deep within her heart, and called for the wind to help her friend.

The winds all over the world blew up, until it located that one small ship which held Lita. And then the wind just concentrated all its being on that one sail.

Soon that ship was moving faster than the three big ones it passed.

A half hour later Lita and Sammy touched down on land.

'Thank you Amora!' Lita said. 'The Princess is on this island. She's trying to stop a war.'

'A war between whom?'

A moments pause.

'Japan, and. . . England. . . '

'But that's impossible! England hasn't declared war on anybody!'

'Japan seems to think otherwise. The Prince of the Earth and his troops are on their way to this island to fight with whom they presume to be England's army.'

'Whoever they are, they are not England.'

'I'll soon find out who they are. Thank you Amora!'

'Good luck, Lita.'

Amora took a deep breath and continued on her way.

"I now know where the Princess is. My job has just been made allot easier." Amora muttered as she entered the darkened doorway of a tavern.


	13. Chapter 13

Keep Her Safe Chapter Thirteen

Lady Prin

Disclaimer Applies

Okay, I forgot what colors the generals hair were in the anime, so I'm going with what they were in the live action. Also, this is the most recent chaptor. You all will have to be content with these until I write some more! Which hopefully will be soon! -

It was late.

The sky was clouded over, so the moon shone little.

The room was lit by three lanterns which were spread sparsely around the room.

It was a fairly normal room, kind of like a study of sorts. No shelves or bookcases and no desk. Just four comfortably padded armchairs, a medium sized brown wooden table in the middle of the room, and the lanterns set around on the three window sills.

There were three young men sitting in three of the armchairs.

Dressed in normal brown and white cotton clothes that the English commoners wore, you couldn't tell that they were really from Tokyo, Japan.

The one with long brown hair was getting really tired of the quietness that had befallen the room when the third man had arrived.

"So. . ." He muttered softly.

The man with short white hair, and the man with short fiery red hair that stood up like a very messy birds nest, looked at him expectantly.

The man with brown hair leaned forward in his chair.

"Anybody know why we're here?" He asked.

The red head and white haired man shook their heads.

"We haven't a clue, Jedite." The white haired man answered.

Silence for a minute.

"Well, whatever we're here for, I came here on the arm of a beautiful women!" The red haired man stated proudly.

"Not as beautiful as mine, Nephrite!" Jedite countered. "The women who brought me had an aura of mystery around her!"

"Your's wasn't aqua haired was she?" Nephrite asked.

"No, long green haired." Jedite answered.

"Good! Mine was full of elegance!" Nephrite retorted.

"Mine was. . . tall!" Jedite countered again.

"Mine was twelve." The white haired man interrupted.

"What?" Nephrite and Jedite cried swinging their heads around to look at the white haired man, who turned slightly red.

"I got brought here by a girl of twelve. She had short black hair, and was rather cute."

"So, who do you think is going to bring Kunzite here?" Nephrite asked.

"I don't know. Zoisite?" Jedite asked the white haired man.

"Well, there's a pattern here. They were all women." Zoisite said rather smartly.

"I bet Kunzite's going to be brought here by a man!" Nephrite challenged.

"I bet he's going to be brought here by a women, and that she'll only look like a man!" Jedite replied.

"You're on!" Nephrite cried.

Zoisite hung his head in surrender.

"You two never give it up huh?" He sighed.

Then the door to the room opened.

Michelle walked in with a tray filled with tea cups and a tea pot.

She was followed into the room by Hotaru and Setsuna.

"Sorry you had to wait so long." Michelle said softly as she sat the tray on the table. "It seems your fourth friend, Kunzite, is a bit unwilling to come."

"He would be." Nephrite muttered.

"So, may I ask what we are doing here? Besides waiting for Kunzite to come here." Zoisite asked.

Hotaru started pouring the tea, as Michelle and Setsuna stood by the chairs.

"We have something very important that needs discussed with you. All of you." Michelle informed them as she started handing around the filled tea cups.

It was then the door opened for the second time that night.

"Ugh!" Amora grunted as she came through the doorway, Kunzite slung over her shoulders.

"Amora, I hope you didn't damage him too much." Michelle scolded lightly.

"Don't worry Nep." Amora said as she landed Kunzite in the only armchair left empty. "I only knocked him out. He'll come to soon."

Meanwhile Nephrite flung a large gold coin toward Jedite who caught it in mid air. Zoisite went red again.

"Okay, now that's a sight I thought I'd never see." Nephrite stated.

"You're never going to let him forget it are you?" Zoisite asked Nephrite and Jedite.

"Never." They replied together, grinning widely.

Abruptly Kunzite jumped from his chair, swearing vengeance on the man who conked him.

"Oh, shut it." Amora told him as she took the cup of tea that Hotaru gave her.

Kunzite looked at her once and realized it was her who had knocked him unconscious. He looked at her a twice and realized she was a women.

He went as red as an apple in spring.

"Okay, now that all four of you generals are here, we can begin." Michelle started.

Kunzite plopped back down in the chair now that he realized there was no immediate danger.

The others sat forward in their chairs.

"First, let us introduce ourselves. My name is Michelle."

"I'm Setsuna."

"I'm Hotaru."

"And I'm Amora the Kunzite knocker outer, and don't you forget it!"

"Amora!" Michelle cried.

Amora shrugged and sipped her tea again.

"Okay, so. . . .?" Jedite said in a questioning tone.

"We are the outer Sailor Scouts, and we need your help." Michelle stated.

The generals started. Kunzite leaned forward in his chair.

"Okay. Help with what?" Nephrite asked.

"First of all, I must inform you that you should not speak our sailor names. Or the moon queen's either. If you do, the enemy shall be alerted to our locations." Setsuna told them her soft tone.

The generals nodded.

"Did you know that the moon queen had a daughter?" Michelle asked.

The generals shook their heads.

"Well she did. Fourteen years ago. But the enemy knew about her, so we had to send the princess into hiding. We gave her to England's governing royals."

"Princess Serena?" Nephrite asked.

"Yes. We cannot call her by her real name. So we'll just call her princess." Michelle answered.

"Isn't she missing?" Kunzite asked.

"Yes." Michelle nodded.

"Let me guess, you need our help to find the princess?" Zoisite stated.

"That was it at first, but things have complicated themselves. On her fourteenth birthday, the queen was to tell her of her true birthright, but she went missing a few days before. Since then we've found out that she's in Tokyo."

"She's not anymore." Amora interrupted.

Everyone looked at her.

"I've managed to find out that the princess is on an island off the coast of Tokyo." She continued looking unperturbed by all the shocked looks. "I've also found out that Japan's army headed by the Prince of the Earth is gathering on that island getting ready to fight a war. A war with which they believe to be with England."

"England has not declared war on anyone!" Hotaru cried.

"You're right, they haven't." Amora confirmed. "Therefore, I think the enemy is setting up a fake war for some reason."

"Who is this enemy?" Jedite asked.

"We cannot speak her name either, but she is a powerful queen of a distant galaxy. She is pure evil that creature, and she wants to destroy the moon kingdom and the earth. But first she wants to kill the princess." Michelle said.

"I think the war is her way of messing up with the Earth from the inside out." Hotaru piped up.

"Our job was to find you four, and ask for your help in finding the princess. Now we must ask your help in protecting the princess, and protecting your planet." Setsuna said.

Jedite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite looked at each other for a long moment.

"We're willing and able." Jedite said.

"Okay, we're here. Now what?" Rei asked Serena as they laid among the tall wild grass that grew under the trees. They were on one side of a low hill. The enemy lay spread out on the other side.

"I know!" Mina answered. She quickly rooted around in the bag that held their rations and had previously held Luna and Artemis.

Luna and Artemis had recently disappeared, but Rei and Mina hadn't seemed too concerned about it.

Mina pulled out about three sheets of paper and a pen.

"Why don't we spy on the enemy and make notes of their movements?" She asked. "That way we can be of help to Endymion's forces, we can prove we've been here for over five minutes, AND we can look for any sign of who they really are!"

"Sounds great Mina!" Serena and Rei both approved.

Mina quickly crawled to the crest of the hill and quickly started scribbling.

Ami slowly followed her.

Mina noticed her when she was halfway up the hill.

"You can help me Ami!" She whispered. "You can tell me what their doing, while I write it down. Okay?"

"Okay." Ami answered nervously.

Ami made it to the crest of the hill and looked out between the blades of grass, upon the lowlands on the other side of the hill.

She breathed in sharply.

"They're monsters!" She whispered in fear.

Mina stopped scribbling, and squinted between the grass blades too.

"They're humans Ami." Mina told her confusedly.

"No, they're monsters! All colors, shapes, sizes! They're lumbering about doing nothing. There's not even tents there!"

Mina looked again, but all she saw was human soldiers dressed in England's uniforms, going from tent to tent, building catapults, sharpening weapons, and a thousand other tasks.

Mina looked back at her, then realized what was happening.

Ami was Sailor Mercury. One of her powers was of Illusion. Therefore she wasn't only able to make illusions, but she was able to see through them as well.

Mina touched one of Ami's hands, and looked out through the grass again.

Now she was able to see everything.

And it wasn't pretty.

Mina turned around and called softly to the others.

They crawled up to join Mina and Ami.

Mina instructed them to touch one of Ami's hands and look through the grass.

When Rei saw the army's true form, she understood what was happening.

Serena on the other hand couldn't understand it.

She touched Ami's hand, and saw the truth. She took her hand off of Ami's, and saw the illusion. She did this for a couple seconds. Though she didn't understand how it was, she understood what was happening.

"I call upon my forbidden birthright, let us see through this illusion." She whispered.

Rei was shocked to hear her say that, and Ami was confused, but now they didn't need to touch Ami to see the truth.

"So the real enemy is monsters that look like they came from another planet." Serena stated, staring. "Endy's army won't be able to see this, and I'm running out of energy, so I can't help them see. What can we do, before they get here? They won't stand a chance, if all they can see is an illusion."

"We'll have to start the fight ourselves." Rei replied. "Now, before others get here."

"How? What will we do?" Ami asked.

Rei grinned widely. A mischievous light glinted in her eyes.

"We take them out, one by one." She whispered.

"This has not been a pleasant journey, huh Andrew?" Endymion asked with a smile as Andrew's horse caught up with his.

Andrew had just finished making sure everyone and everything was accounted for.

"No, sir, it has not." He answered grimly while riding his horse and drying his weapon before it got rusted in its sheath.

Endymion sat proudly upon his majestic black stallion. He was clad in shinning black armor that had not a dent in it. His sword was within its black sheath that was tied to his black belt, it having already been dried.

He sat there in silent amusement at Andrew's grumpiness.

Then the horses got restless, and the ground began to shake.

Endymion, Andrew, and the rest of the army tried to reign in their horses.

Then something erupted from the earth itself.

It was earth molded in the shape of a winged unicorn. It flew up into sky and circled around. As it came back down it transformed into a real winged unicorn.

It landed and trotted up to Endymion's horse.

Then it changed into a small kid sized man dressed in white and blue robes, with short white hair, light red eyes, and a small horn on his forehead.

"Helios." Endymion cried.

"You're highness." Helios bowed.

"Report?" Endymion asked.

"The girls escaped the tower. Some how they used the enchantment to their advantage. I lost their tracks in the village."

Endymion and Andrew looked at each other.

"I have no clue how they did it!" Helios continued to rant and rave as Endymion climbed off of his horse.

"Helios calm down!" He said as she put his hands on Helios's shoulders, kneeling so as to be level with him.

Andrew still sat on his horse, sword in hand, shaking his head.

"The first time one of his enchantments doesn't work and he goes bonkers." Andrew stated as he started drying his sword again.

Helios stared at him, breathing hard. Then he closed his eyes, took a breath, and looked back at the Prince.

"I'm sorry your highness, but I don't know where the girls have gone. They could be behind you, they could be ahead of you, they could even still be in Tokyo. I don't know!" He said while waving his hands to punctuate his words.

"Helios your getting yourself worked up again."Endymion told him. "If they're behind us, that's good. If they're still in Tokyo, that's even better. If they're up ahead, it's okay. We'll figure something out to keep them from harm. Right now, why don't you calm yourself down by flying ahead and scouting the area out? Make sure we don't run into the enemy before we see them, and keep a look out for the girls. Okay?"

Helios took a couple more deep breaths, then nodded.

Endymion stepped back, and Helios turned around and started running over the ground.

A bright light started shinning at the tip of his horn, then worked it's way down his body, changing him into the winged unicorn as it passed. He was off, flying swiftly, and silently into the sky.

Endymion climbed back upon his horse.

"Let's go!" He yelled to the troops.

As they continued, Andrew, his sword now dry, turned to him.

"I've noticed that you have yet to call the opposing army by its name. You have always called it by 'the enemy.' Why? It's like, if you call it by its true name, England, it'll hurt you worse when you come to fight them."

Endymion was silent for a moment, staring straight ahead at the green trees and grass which stretched on for miles ahead.

"That's the reason why I made you my second in command, Andrew. You seem to know my very thoughts."

Andrew looked down at the back of his chestnut brown horse's head.

"Yes. To give the enemy a name, would bring me great sorrow when it comes time to fight them. To give them a name, is to give them a face. Queen Ikoku and King Kenji, I liked them allot. I respected them as people, as they respected everyone around them. They also had the same views on slavery as I do. They were opposed to anybody having slaves. They refused to have them. The people who work in the palace work there of their own free will, are payed for their work, and can leave at any time. It's one of the reasons they're loved and respected so much. I still can't believe that they would do this. We haven't even gotten a messenger from them letting us know the princess was missing. They should've asked for our help in searching for her. Not declare war on us first and foremost. And I was so much looking forward to meeting the princess at this years holiday ball for all the governing royals. From what I've heard, she's better than the other princess's that mother selected for me to try and court."

Endymion tried to catch his breath as Andrew thought for a moment.

"I understand how you feel." Andrew admitted, then added. "Do you think that maybe, one of those girls is the missing princess?"

Endymion looked at him with a surprised expression.

"I mean, from what Helios said, it sounded like at least one of them had magical abilities. And it's rumored that Princess Serena has magical abilities. Plus Princess Serena has long blond hair. Both girls have long blond hair. I mean, it sounds outrageous, but at the same time makes since. The Princess and her double."

Andrew fell silent as Endymion pondered this with a frown on his handsome face.

"I can't see how that would be, but I can't say it's impossible." Endymion muttered. "We'll have to ask them when we find them. Look, Helios has spotted something. He's landing."

Endymion and Andrew looked into the distance and saw the small figure of Helios flying straight like an arrow to the earth.

"Let's hurry up." Endymion commanded.

They and the troops quickened their pace.

Endymion and Andrew hadn't noticed that one of the soldiers behind them had been eavesdropping.

"The princess, here?" He asked himself quietly. No one heard him over the thunder of millions of hooves upon the ground.

Helios crouched low among the tall wild grass. Their tips tickled his nose, but he ignored them.

He had spotted movement from the air and had landed to investigate.

He silently crept forward, his white slipper-like shoes soft and soundless upon the earth that was his friend.

There! He saw it again. A black creature, small, and silent as well. Crouching low within the grass too.

Then something white flashed across the corner of his eye.

He turned slightly to look and in that moment the black creature leaped at him.

Only to stop itself halfway.

"Helios?" It said.

Helios looked at it. It was small black cat, with red eyes, and a gold crescent moon on its forehead.

"Luna?" Helios replied.

"Artemis, it's Helios!" Luna called to the white streak that bounded forward to her side.

"What are you two doing here?" Helios asked them.

"We're here to protect our charges." Luna replied.

Helios thought for a moment.

"The moon princess?" Helios asked, his eyes wide with realization.

"Yes, her and and three of her protectors. One of which doesn't remember who she is. They are up ahead, waiting for the prince's army to come." Luna replied.

"Wait a moment. Was the princess one of the girls that escaped from the palace tower?" Helios asked.

"Yes. She was one and the other was her double. They met up with the other two in the village. Helios, the opposing army is not England's." Luna warned him.

"It's not?"

"No." Artemis answered. "It's the enemy whom we had to hide the princess from. It has to be!"

"The princess knows it's not England, and she wants to stop the war." Luna continued.

"If her protectors can't transform without alerting the enemy, how are they planning on stopping it?" Helios asked.

"We don't know, Helios." Luna replied.

"You need to go back, and warn the prince that all is not as it seems. He needs to proceed with caution." Artemis told him.

"Right." Helios nodded. "Be careful yourselves."

He turned and was swiftly gone.

Luna and Artemis turned around and headed back to the girls.

Rei crouched within the tall grass, a little in front and between two big trees.

She turned her head and looked up at Ami who was clinging to a thick tree branch on her left, and Mina who was clinging to another tree branch on her right.

Serena was laying in the grass a little ways behind Rei.

'I can't believe I'm letting Serena do this!' Rei thought.

Rei gave the signal, and the battle began.

Serena stood up.

"HEY YOU!!! BIG AND UGLIES!!! COME AND GET ME!!!" She yelled.

The monsters stood dumbfounded for a moment. How could humans see through the illusion their Mistress had set up?

Then they started bumbling, walking, sliding or by various other means of transportation went after Serena.

She just stood there watching them.

"NOW!" She yelled.

As the monsters came underneath the tree branches, Ami and Mina started pelting them with rocks which they had collected and stored in their clothing.

The monsters couldn't figure out what was hitting them, and the others who were out of Ami and Mina's reach stopped and watched.

Rei sprang up then and started throwing paper scrolls at them. With each monster a scroll hit, the creature went up in smoke.

That's when all heck broke loose.

The rest of the monsters came at them in a rush.

They shook the trees that Mina and Ami were in, making the girls leap off the trees, so as not to get captured. Rocks fell out of their clothes as they jumped, hitting monsters on top of their heads.

Ami and Mina raced towards Rei and Serena.

By the time they got to each other, the monsters were very close.

"RUN!" Rei yelled, and they all four sprinted through the tall grass and through other trees.

Then something landed hard on Serena's shoulders.

"AH!" She cried as she tried to fling whatever it was off.

"Serena stop! It's just Luna and Artemis!" Rei cried.

"Oh! Okay!" Serena replied and they ran some more.

They cleared the trees, and doubled back to the monster's campsite.

No monsters were there.

"Okay," Rei started, taking charge. "Serena! Are you sure that calling upon this. . . forbidden birthright of yours, doesn't make anything bad happen to you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I become weaker the more I use it, but so long as I don't use too much I'm fine." Serena replied.

"Okay, give us swords then." Rei told her.

Serena whispered a call to her birthright once more and four swords appeared. Weirdly, Rei's sword had a red hilt with a fire symbol sketched into the blade. Ami's was a blue hilt, with a water symbol sketch. Mina's was a yellow hilt, with a heart sketch. And Serena's was a white hilt, with a crescent moon sketch.

"This is cool!" Serena said inspecting her sword.

"Don't pay too much attention to it, Serena." Rei said hurriedly. "The monsters could be here any minute."

"Right." Serena replied, lowering her sword.

"Um, how do I use this?" Ami asked.

"You already know how, Ami." Mina replied. Then she looked at Serena with a worried expression. "It's you I'm not so sure about."

Serena smiled at her.

"Don't worry!" She assured her.

"Yeah, the reason she's been so late for lessons most of the time, is because I was giving her sword lessons." Rei explained. "She's actually pretty good. On some days."

Serena stuck her tongue out at Rei.

"Alright then, girls." Mina said, turning around to face the wood that they had just come out of. "Let's save this world!"

"Yeah!" All four girls cheered as they raised their swords together toward the trees.

"Helios's, this is the second time you've come to me out of breath. Whatever you're doing to get like that, stop!" Endymion cried as Helios's bent double to try and catch his breath.

"I'm sorry your Highness." He panted.

Once again, Endymion had stopped the army as Helios's came flying towards them. Once again, Helios was out of breath.

Finally he stood up straight.

"It's not England!" Was his first words.

Everybody looked taken aback.

"Then who is it?" Endymion asked.

"Monsters!" Helios replied.

"Monsters?" Endymion echoed.

"That's right! Monsters! In all shapes, sizes, colors, with every appendage known to man! And even a few that not even I have seen!" Helios confirmed. "They are using an illusion charm, to look like England's troops. Your army wouldn't last five minutes there!"

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Endymion cried.

"Of course not!" Helios said in an annoyed manor, like as if the thought never crossed his mind. "But you need to proceed cautiously. With as few soldiers as possible. If you brought the whole army, it would be a huge massacre!"

"True if we can't see what we're fighting. . ." Endymion started to say thoughtfully.

"There is someone who can help you to see through the illusion, but their energy is low as it is, so they can't do your whole army. Pick only those who you trust, and who is best at fighting." Helios advised.

"Andrew's one." Endymion said immediately.

"I knew I would be. . . This time though, I'm not sure I want to be." Andrew replied.

"So you're not coming?" Endymion asked.

"Of course I am! Don't be dumb!" Andrew cried.

Endymion smiled triumphantly, and went on to pick five other soldiers.

The rest were to stay there, and to keep a look out for Helios's signal. If Helios flew up in the air, then straight down, then they were to come armed and ready for battle.

The Prince, Andrew, Helios and the five other soldiers, one of which was the eavesdropper, rode on.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

They came at them in a wave.

All the monsters, or youma as Rei now called them, flattened the grass in their rush toward their pray.

As each one came within sword reach, the girls lashed out at them. Bringing them down by the handful.

Ami found a hidden knowledge of how to use a sword suddenly rush to the front of her mind. Then her body seemed to take over, instinctive reflexes Ami named it. She didn't fight it; she just let her body do what it thought needed done.

As she fought in a trancelike state, her mind went into itself to wait out the battle.

"_Ami . . ." _

Another voice joined her in her mind.

"_What?" _She asked it.

"_It's time to learn of who you really are."_

Memories flashed through her mind as her body still fought youma's.

By the time the memories stopped flowing, Ami had a headache.

"_My memories!!! They're back!" _Her mind cried.

"_Yes, and I'm sorry for holding them back all these years, but it was necessary."_

"_Who are you?" _Ami asked quickly, feeling the presence that belonged to that mysterious voice receding.

It left without responding.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Serena screamed as a youma lifted her up high into the air.

Her sword lay on the ground at the youma's feet.

The other girls heard her and tried to get to her, they couldn't get to her in time.

The youma flung her high into the air toward the trees.

She covered her head with her arms as she fell through the tree limbs. Most limbs just broke off as she hit them, but there were those that were too thick. Those hurt and nocked the breath out of her.

She expected to hit the ground hard. She knew that tree limbs wouldn't be the only things broken.

She never hit the ground.  
She hit something else instead, or someone actually.

"Ugg!!!" Endymion grunted as he staggered back into Andrew, but he still held Serena in his arms.

"What the heck happened?" He cried as he regained his balance.  
"I got thrown." Serena replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"By what???" Andrew cried.

Endymion sat Serena back on her feet.

Serena looked at all eight people there, closed her eyes and chanted in her mind.

"_I call upon my forbidden birthright, help them see through these illusions." _

"_You know that you'll tire too quickly if you do this?" _Another familiar voice in her mind asked her.

"_You're back!" _Serena thought happily. Then she became serious. _"Yes, I know, but they need to see."_

"_Okay then." The voice replied. _

"Oh, sweet moon above!" Andrew hoarsely cried.

Serena opened her eyes and saw that all of them were looking toward the battlefield. Then all eight of them turned to look at her.  
The small boy with a horn on his forehead smiled and nodded at her.  
Endymion, Andrew and four others looked at her in shock, and the last soldier looked at her knowingly.

What he thought he knew she didn't have time to find out.

With a smile, Serena turned around and headed back onto battlefield.

She dodged a million swinging objects before she finally came to her sword that was still lying on the ground.

Before she picked it up though, the whole air turned red, and the ground beneath her feet shook itself so sharply that she fell over backwards.

A loud BOOM filled the air. It was so loud that everyone clasped their hands to their ears, and Serena could've sworn she'd screamed, but she never heard the sound of her own voice.

When the air cleared, and her ears stopped ringing, and the pain in her head cleared a little, she noticed that there was a burnt smell in the air.

The smell of burnt grass, and something else.

She raised her head and looked around.

Half of the monster population had been wiped out, and the rest were still reeling from the BOOM. Where half of the monsters had been there was now only burnt grass.

"Fire." Rei stated as she helped Serena up on her feet.

Serena glanced at her.

The rest of the monsters that were still living roared in anger.

"Who did that?" Serena asked.

"Our reinforcements!" Endymion and Rei cried together.

Serena looked where they were looking.

Three familiar young women, one familiar young girl, and four unknown men were standing at the edge of the field.

"Amora, Michelle, Setsuna and Hotaru!" Serena muttered. "But who are the men?"  
"My generals." Endymion replied as he came to her side.

Amora, Michelle, Setsuna and Hotaru all held swords in their hands. The generals held nothing in their hands, though the brown haired one had his hands up and pointed toward the scorched part of the field.

He lowered his hands and they all ran to their friends' sides.

"Sorry we're late your Highness." One of them apologized to Endymion as all four generals bowed.

"That's okay Kunzite! I'm just happy you made it in time." Endymion replied.

Hasty introductions were made before the rest of the monsters came back to their senses.

Then the battle raged on.

Kunzite fought the battle with pure energy. Zoisite fought with ice. Nephrite fought with lightening. And Jedite fought with fire. Helios turned back into a horse and fought with his horn and hooves. The rest fought with swords.

Serena lost track of where everyone was on the field.

Abruptly she backed up into someone or something.

Before she could swing her sword around, Rei's voice cried out.

"It's me!"

"Oh, good!" Serena panted. "Listen Rei, I have no idea how long I can go on like this!"  
"Don't worry. It won't go on much longer." Rei assured her.

Serena paused and looked into Rei's eyes.  
They were strange to her.

"Rei?" She asked worriedly.

Rei just smiled.

She held her hands up as her fingers turned into claws.

Serena stepped back horrified.  
Rei lunged at her; her claws gripped her shoulders so tightly they drew blood.

Then both Rei and Serena disappeared from that battlefield, and nobody noticed.

Queen Beryl was getting impatient.

The Princess brat had still not been found, and it aggravated her that she couldn't kill the Moon Queen off now, while she was so close to her.

But then again, she wanted the Moon Queen alive to see her kill her precious daughter, and to see her, Beryl, take the thrown to not just the Moon Kingdom, but Earth as well.

For that to happen, she had to be patient. She had to keep pretending to be Fireia. Thanks to the memory transfer that she had done between Fireia and herself, Beryl knew just how to act like Fireia. She knew just what to say and when to say it.

Hopefully it would all soon come to an end. All these memories were making her nauseous.

"_My Lady!" _A voice from one of her minions came to her mind.

"_Yes?" _Beryl asked slowly. Her tone conveyed the message that if it weren't important, the barer of the message would soon pay with their life.

"_I hold the Moon Princess in my hands." _Came the reply.

"_Oh, how marvelous!!!" _Queen Beryl silently laughed. _"Keep her there. I'm coming."_

"_Yes, my Lady." _

Beryl looked over to the Moon Queen who was at that moment staring out the window of her room.

"My Lady." Beryl said meekly with the voice of Fireia.

"Yes, Fireia?" Queen Serenity asked in a soft, sad voice, not turning around.

"I believe there is something you should know." Beryl said, stopping right behind Serenity.

Serenity half turned around to look at her with questioning eyes.

At that moment, Beryl let fall the illusion of Fireia, and within the seconds that Serenity was in shock, blasted her with enough dark energy to knock her unconscious.

"I'm not your beloved Fireia, fool." Beryl muttered as she turned Queen Serenity over onto her back with a pointy dark purple shoe.  
"That was easy. She never saw it coming." Beryl gloated as she faded away.

The battle between the monsters and forces of the Sailor Scouts and Endymion's army was interrupted abruptly as the earth shook itself and a large patch of it started rising up.

The mound of earth only stopped when it had reached the size of a medium big hill.

Serena and her captor materialized on the very top of the hill. Her captor no longer wore the guise of Rei. She now was herself, sharp pointy ears, and gray skin with stripes of green on her cheeks. She had red eyes and wore a tight fitting two-piece black tank top and pants outfit.

Her claws were still dug deep into Serena's skin.

Serena was biting her lip to keep from crying with the pain.

"NO!" All the Sailor Scouts and Endymion and his people cried out.

Horrible laughter filled the air. It made all who heard it, minus the monsters, sick with the sound of it.

Then Beryl materialized right beside Serena and her captor.

She looked down upon our heroes with contempt.

She looked over at Serena who stared at her in fear and repulsion.

Beryl took Serena's chin into her hand, and looked Serena in the eyes.

"So, I've finally gotten you after all this time. My attempt at the harbor failed, but no matter now. Soon you shall die like you should've when you were born." She whispered to Serena.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"LET HER GO!" Rei cried from below.

Beryl laughed.

"What makes you think you can command me? Haven't you noticed that you're in no position to give commands, nor make demands?" Beryl asked mockingly.

Rei's face flushed with anger.

Beryl grinned nastily.

Beryl's hands started to grow into claws, just like the shape shifter's ones, only longer.

"Let her go Beryl!" Mina commanded in a strong voice.

Beryl didn't even glance at her.

"I said let my bodyguard go!!!" Mina commanded again.

Beryl's head whipped around and she stared at Mina; her hands were only inches away from penetrating Serena's heaving chest.

Mina stood there proudly in the middle of her companions, covered in many different colors of blood, and holding a sword in front of her.

Beryl's eyes zeroed in on the sword.

It held the half Moon crest on its hilt.

When Beryl hadn't been looking Mina had picked up Serena's sword.

Beryl, now seeing that sword in Mina's hands, took it to be Mina's own.

She lowered her hands, but only slightly.

"Prove to me that you are the Princess whom I seek and I shall let her go." Beryl said suspiciously.

Mina took a deep breath, and then she held the sword up high, where the Moon's crest was level with her forehead.

"_I sure hope this plan works!" _Was the thought that was going through all the Sailor Scouts minds as Endymion and his people watched on in curiosity.

Mina becomes enveloped within gold light. When it fades she is wearing the traditional white dress of a Moon Princess. Her hair is done up in Odangos, though the streamers are shorter than Serena's is. And a small crescent moon burns gold on her forehead.

Queen Serenity's head jerks up and she looks around.

Her vision is a bit blurry, but her memories are not. She remembered Beryl dropping the illusion of being Fireia, and hitting her with a dark energy blast.

Her vision clears, and she stands up.

"_How did she get so close without me knowing?" _She wondered. _"Why didn't she kill me?" _

The answer to her second question came to her.

"_I'm such a fool!" _She cried in her mind.

Then her head jerks up as she feels the power of a Sailor Scout course through her.  
_"Mina is putting plan Substitute Princess into action. Time to do my part." _

Serenity made a tiny mind link to Mina, and fed to her through the mind link, some of the power of the Impearium Silver Crystal.

"_Hold it Mina! I'm coming!" _

Beryl could see and feel the power of the Impearium Silver Crystal radiating off of the other blond haired girl.

"So I've been after the wrong one all along have I?" Beryl asked Serena, though she didn't wait for an answer.

Which was just as well, Serena didn't have one.

Beryl made a motion with her hands, and the shape shifter pushed Serena over the side of the hill, down the side opposite her friends.

She slid down a fourth of the way and was caught by someone.

"Umf!" Sammy cried as the weight of Serena pushed him back into Lita.

Lita managed to steady them all before they all went tumbling down the hill.

"Are you okay?" Lita asked Serena.

"It's you!!! I knew you'd come!!! I knew you were real!!! I'm fine!!!" Serena whispered happily and fast. "Listen, there's this very evil and horrifying woman up there!!! She's trying to kill someone! At first she thought it was me she was after, but now she thinks it's Mina! She's going to try to kill Mina! We have to stop her!!!"

Lita put her hands onto Serena's shoulders.

Serena winced slightly, but Lita didn't notice.

"Calm down. She knows what she's doing!" Lita assured her. "This is her job."  
"I know, but still!" Serena cried pleadingly.

"Sammy!" Lita cried as she looked past Serena on up the hill.

Serena turned around and saw Sammy running up the hill as fast as he could.

Serena and Lita ran to catch up.

As he neared the top he pulled from somewhere a hidden lethal looking dagger.

Before Serena and Lita caught up to him, he made it to the top of the hill.

Beryl still concentrated on Mina.

Before she had time to turn around Sammy lunged and drove the dagger straight into her back, right between the shoulder blades, and into Beryl's black heart.

As the shape shifter made a move to kill him, he jumped off of Beryl and rolled down the hill toward the other Sailor Scouts.

When he reached the bottom of the hill, he looked up with a triumphant grin, but that triumphant grin slowly faded away.

The shape shifter quickly plucked the dagger from Beryl's back and Beryl's purple flesh sealed the wound.

"That was really plucky!" Beryl said unworriedly. "But it takes more than a dagger to the heart to kill me, Princess."  
"I know, Beryl." Mina snarled at her.

"That's Queen Beryl to you, brat!" Beryl snarled back.

"The title Queen demands respect. I have no respect for you Beryl, and so as Princess I don't recognize the self proclaimed title of yours." Mina spoke like a true Princess. Which she was, she just wasn't the Princess of the Moon, though she was the cousin to her.

She spoke proudly, but within, her mind was in turmoil.

For years she and the Queen had practiced this plan. Mina would change her clothes and hairstyle to look like the Princess, therefore it would not be a straightforward illusion and thereby not right away detectable as one.  
Then the Queen would open a link to her and pass some of the Impearium Silver Crystal's power to her. So that Beryl would see the power surrounding her and thereby believe the story.

But Mina was not a Moon Princess, so she could not command the Impearium Silver Crystal's power. Because she was related to the Princess, was the only reason she could hold the Crystal's power inside herself, but hold it was all she could do.

The longer she held it within her, the more it destroyed her.

She did not have the power needed in order to live with the Crystal's power in her veins. That power was only held in the Serenity line, and only after having grown over generations.

Mina doubled over as the pain became too much to bear.

"_I'm sorry my Queen, I can't hold any longer." _She thought as she fell to the ground, her dress disappearing along with the crescent moon crest.

At that moment Beryl let fly a big ball of dark energy.

Mina was too weak to block it.

Before any of the other's could move, the soldier who had eavesdropped on Endymion and Andrew's conversation earlier, leaped in front of Mina.

He threw up his hands and a big ball of pure energy flew from them to hit the dark energy in mid air.

Both canceled out the other, and they both disappeared without harming anyone.

The soldier then transformed himself.

His ears became pointy, his hair grew short and brown, his eyes turned green, and his uniform became dark blue with green and pink stripes around the tunic.

"Just who are you!" Beryl screamed in rage.

"My name is Prince Alan, of the Showma Galaxy." He replied defiantly.

Beryl recognized his name and Galaxy.

"You . . ." She muttered at her eyes blazed with red-hot rage.

"You will not hurt her." He commanded.

"Things are getting interesting." Lita muttered as she and Serena rounded the side of the hill and saw this turn of events.

Before Serena could reply, a gold clad hand reached out of thin air beside her, took her by the wrist, and jerked her out of space and time.

The hand pulled her through multicolored lights that were so bright and moving at so fast a speed that Serena had a headache before it was over.

Then the hand pulled her up and out of the moving lights.

She was pulled forth from inside a large cauldron.

She leaped over the side and turned around to look at the cauldron. How she had ever managed to fit in there she didn't understand, for it was not big enough for anyone but a small child to fit in.

"Welcome Moon Princess to my domain." A familiar voice spoke to her, resounding off the dark stone walls of the small dark room, where the only light came from inside the cauldron.

It was the same voice that had told her how to use her forbidden birthright, the same voice that had taught her so much.

She looked around to see a woman, about a head taller than her, standing just a little behind her.

The woman wore a sleeveless white shirt. Her short skirt looked like sharp gold petals of armor, and she had the same gold petals around her shoulders. Her hands were gloved in gold gauntlets, and her head was adorned with a gold metal helmet.

"Welcome to my domain, Moon Princess." The woman repeated with a slight bow. "I am Sailor Galaxia, Protector of the Galaxian Cauldron."


	16. Chapter 16

Recap:

"Welcome to my domain, Moon Princess." The woman repeated with a slight bow. "I am Sailor Galaxia, Protector of the Galaxian Cauldron."

Chapter Sixteen

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies:

Serena didn't know what to say to this, so she just stayed silent, staring at Sailor Galaxia.

Galaxia smiled at her, but only briefly.

Galaxia walked up beside Serena and looked into the cauldron, a sorrowful frown upon her face.

"I'm sorry my Lady, but my friends . . ." Serena started to say.

Galaxia looked up at her and the frown disappeared.

"Don't worry." Galaxia assured her. "Your friends aren't in any danger for the moment. Here within the shrine of the Galaxian Cauldron, time and space no longer exist. When you go back to the battlefield, you'll be right where you were before I brought you here."

Serena let out a relieved sigh.

"May I ask what the Galaxian Cauldron is?" Serena asked politely, now that she knew that she had the time.

"Look inside it." Galaxia told her.

Serena bent over it and looked.

Inside were little balls of moving images, all blurry. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make any images come into focus.

"I can see little balls of light with images moving in them, but I can't make out any of the images." Serena informed Galaxia.

"Bringing the images into focus requires long centuries of practice." Galaxia explained as she reached into the cauldron and pulled out one of the balls.

She held it in her hands and stared at it for a moment.

"Inside each ball are images of the past, present, and future. Images of things happening on Earth or on the other side of the universe, I can see them all. I must guard all these balls from those who might find this place, for with these balls one can control everything that happens in life. Though, it is forbidden to interfere with these events, like I've just done, and are about to do."

She put the ball back into the cauldron, and reached deeper within.

"Stand back." Galaxia ordered Serena.

Serena backed up a few steps, as Galaxia pulled on something bigger than just one of those balls.

Galaxia backed up as Queen Serenity climbed over the side of the cauldron.

Galaxia let go of Queen Serenity's hand as Serenity looked around.

Then Queen Serenity realized where she was.

"Sailor Galaxia." Queen Serenity bowed her.

"You know me already?" Galaxia asked slightly bemused.

"Of course, and it is an honor to be in the presence of the most powerful Sailor Scout of all." Queen Serenity responded.

"Thank you, you're Highness." Galaxia replied. "Now, there are things to be done. Queen Serenity, your daughter. Princess Serenity, your mother."

As Galaxia introduced them, the Queen and Serena looked at each other.  
After fourteen years, mother and daughter were finally reunited.

Serena curtsied politely than turned to Galaxia.

"Mother?" She asked. "I don't understand."

"You will in a moment, dear." Serenity answered for her as she walked up to her. "I took thy birthright from thee, but now I give it back."

She quickly touched Serena's forehead as Serena stared in shock at her.

Gold light flared in the shape of a crescent moon on Serena's forehead.

Serenity took her hand away, as Serena doubled over clutching her head in her hands.

Galaxia put a restraining hand on Queen Serenity's shoulder and drew her back before Serenity could touch Serena again.

"You've opened her link to the Impearium Silver Crystal. Good. Now let her do the rest." She told Serenity.

They watched for a moment as Serena stayed doubled over clutching her head.

Serena was now receiving generations of memories and information from all the past Serenity's, but it was all coming at so fast a rate that she felt like her head would explode.

She started screaming.

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked Galaxia worriedly.

"The Crystal's power is coming at her too fast for her to process. She needs to take control and slow it down to a manageable speed. If she can't than her head will explode with the force." Galaxia explained.

Serenity made a move to go to her daughter, but Galaxia still held her back.

"No one, not even you, can help her with this. Too much information has been built up over the years. Only she can make herself take control of it."

"What if she can't?" Serenity asked, oblivious to the fact that Galaxia had just answered that question three sentences ago.

"She can. I know she can. I've been with her through all these years, and I know how strong willed and good-hearted she is. She can do it." Galaxia assured her, for she could see that Queen Serenity needed to be assured by someone.

They watched Serena in silence for a moment until her screaming began to die down.

Serena was now on her knees, and panting heavily.

With a sigh she rose to stand.

She looked at her mother with those sharp blue eyes of hers. Queen Serenity saw that her daughter was now wiser than she had been moments before.

The Moon crest began to glow, and Serena changed into her traditional Moon Princess dress, just like the one Mina had used.

"I'm ready." She stated softly.

Queen Serenity walked up hesitantly to Serena.

"Are you sure?" She asked worriedly, searching her daughter's eyes with her own.

"I guess." Serena responded in a normal tone, shrugging slightly. "I mean, I just got hit with millions of memories all at once, and a power that I've only felt like a few times in small amounts throughout my lifetime. I have a pounding headache, and I'll probably have a bigger one later once I've processed all of the information given me. At the moment though, I'm more interested in kicking Beryl right off the face of the Earth, and saving my friends and people."

Queen Serenity laughed softly.

"You're just as I imagined you to be." She told her with a smile, as she moved some stray strands of blond/silver hair out of her daughter's eyes.

Serena smiled.

"But first thing's first, before saving the universe and all that." She said.

Then she wrapped her arms around Queen Serenity and hugged her tightly as Galaxia looked on with a proud smile on her face.

"I love you mother!" Serena whispered into Queen Serenity's ear.

The Impearium Silver Crystal had given Serena all the information about her mother, and about all that she had done to protect her all these years, and had even given her an idea of all of the love the Queen held for her. Serena couldn't help but love her back.

"If you'd step up to the cauldron I'll get you back on your way, you're Highnesses." Galaxia interrupted gently.

The two Serenity's broke their hug, both wearing smiles, and both nodded at Galaxia.

As they stepped up to the cauldron, Serena turned and addressed Galaxia.

"You said at the beginning that it was forbidden for anyone to interfere with the events of life. The Crystal tells me that not even you are allowed to do that, so what will happen to you after we leave? I mean, giving us time to transfer power and knowledge and then sending us back, isn't that messing with events?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, it is. Yes, I will be punished. Evil was supposed to win this battle, with killing you off. Then your sacrifice would've given the people the push to rise up and fight, and win the war in which evil would be destroyed for good. I got too, emotionally involved, I guess you could say. I grew too fond of you, Serena. So when this time came for you to die, I couldn't let it happen. Now good will win this battle, but because a mortal hand has shifted the scales of good and evil, there will be an even greater sacrifice demanded from good. It will not happen now, it may not happen for years, but happen it will. I will not be able to interfere that time. As for my punishment, I don't know what will to happen to me. I've been punished many times for previous acts like this; each punishment was different than the last. I've always come back to guard the Galaxian Cauldron." Galaxia finished explaining.

Then she looked to the cauldron and added.

"It seems the powers that control us all can't live without me for very long. That's how and why I've always been the most powerful Sailor Scout. Now off you go."

She pushed them slightly, and the cauldron grew enormously fast and big as they fell into it, hand in hand.

As they disappeared into the cauldron, and it shrank to it's original size, Galaxia looked upward.

"Bring on your harshest punishment yet, Masters." She said loudly and tauntingly.

Then she looked back at the cauldron and it's moving images.

"I have no regrets." She added softly.

"Did you say something Sere—" Lita started to say as she turned around, but she swallowed the rest of her sentence when she saw Serena and Queen Serenity appear out of nowhere beside her.

Lita took in their appearance with a glance.

"I missed something didn't I?" She asked, slightly amused.

Serena and Queen Serenity smiled identical smiles at her that boded mischief of some kind and she shivered.

Then they disappeared once more, only to reappear high above the middle of the battlefield.

Beryl was so intent on focusing her anger and rage onto Prince Alan and Mina that she didn't notice them at first, but it's hard to ignore if someone suddenly shouts: "SAILOR SCOUTS UNITE!" way above your head.

Beryl knew then that she had been deceived, but it was already too late.  
All around her the Sailor Scouts were transforming.

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"MARS STAR POWER!"

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

"URANUS STAR POWER!"

"NEPTUNE STAR POWER!"

"PLUTO STAR POWER!"

"SATURN STAR POWER!"

Mina was the last to yell her transformation phrase as she mustered her last bit of strength to stand up.

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

"MAKE UP!" They all yelled in union.

Beryl was temporarily blinding by all the lights of the transforming Sailor Scouts, as was everyone else except Queen Serenity and Serena.

All the Scouts, but Mina most of all, felt new strength flow through their body's as the powers of their planets coursed through their veins.

Serena opened her mind links to all the Sailor Scouts just seconds after they had finished transforming.

"_Girls, destroy the monsters. Mother and I will take care of Beryl." _

"_Yes, Princess Serenity!" _They responded together, and then they all moved as one to attack the remaining monsters.

Queen Serenity summoned her Crescent Moon Wand, which held the Impearium Silver Crystal in the lowest curve of the crescent moon, and Serena took hold of the handle with her.

Together they focused all of the Crystal's power in Beryl's direction.

"PURE MOONLIGHT TRASNPORTATION!!!" They cried together.

Silver light shot forth from the Crystal and surrounded Beryl.

Beryl put up a shield of dark power, but the Crystal's light started wearing it thin.

Then it broke all together and without a sound, for Beryl didn't have time to even mutter one, the light engulfed her and she was gone.

"Where did we just send her?" Serena asked her mother quietly as they lowered the wand.

"Back to the Negeverse where she came from and where she belongs." Queen Serenity explained. "Let's hope she never comes forth from there again."

They looked to the battlefield.

The Sailor Scouts, the Generals, Prince Alan, Helios, and Endymion and his soldiers were just finishing off the last of the monsters.

"Everything's okay now. Everyone's fine." Serena whispered through a badly held back yawn.

Then her eyes closed and she went limp.

Queen Serenity managed to grab her before she started falling through ten floors of air.

"Sleep well, Princess Serenity. It's over." Queen Serenity whispered to her as they descended to the ground.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

This was no normal sleep.

Sleep makes you feel rested and refreshed. This just made Serena feel, more tired, and overloaded. Like as if she was back in some boring History class with a stuffy tutor going on and on about this big battle that took place, but the tutor was making even a violent battle seem boring.

"_Excuse me, but whoever is trying to teach me all this, can you make it a bit more, interesting please?" _Serena asked.

Of course it was her mind asking the question, and she wasn't even sure that someone or something would answer.

Something did answer, though not with a voice.

The pictures started speeding up, and only slowed either on important details or something very interesting.

Serena started learning more, but she also got the feeling that she needn't learn everything right now, so she wasn't learning faster out of needing to, just out of wanting to.

Everything abruptly paused as Serena felt some emotion that wasn't her own, and wasn't connected to any memories she was currently seeing.

The emotion tugged at her, so she let it pull her along.

Soon she came to realize that the emotion was a mix of concern, anxiousness, extreme sorrow, and it smelled slightly of fire.

Before too long, she also knew something else.

The Impearium Silver Crystal let her know that she had now entered the mind of another.

Rei was sitting on a cushioned bench that was placed beside a wall a little ways from Serena's bed.

Her purple eyes stared at Serena intently, waiting for her to wake up.

She still wore the same clothes she had on when she had left the Palace in England for Tokyo.

She had been sitting like this for two Earth days. She ate very little, and wasn't planning on moving an inch from the room until she knew that Serena was well in the mind as well as the body.

"_Rei?" _

Rei leaned forward and stared at Serena.

"_Rei? It's you right?" _Serena's voice echoed through Rei's mind.

"_Yes, it's me! Are you okay? Why are you not awake yet?" _Rei demanded, worried that something was wrong.

"_Just a minute." _Serena responded.

A few minutes later, Serena's eyes fluttered open.

"Rei?" She asked raspy, blinking rapidly.

"I'm here Serena!" Rei replied quickly, jumping up and running to the side of Serena's bed.

She took Serena's hands in her own.

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but had to swallow many times.

"Here, don't talk for a moment." Rei said as she went to the bedside table and poured a glass full of water from a crystal pitcher.

She handed the glass to Serena.

"Ami makes sure to freshen the water up every hour." Rei explained as Serena gulped the water down. "Ever since she got her memories back, and has been able to use her powers, she uses them as much as she can. She said something about needing to practice, but I think she does it just for the fun of doing it."

Serena smiled a she handed her glass back to Rei, and Rei sat it back on the table.

"So, what kept you?" Rei asked.

"From waking up?" Serena asked, her voice back to normal now.

Rei nodded.

"I was . . . processing information." Serena replied.

"Oh." Rei nodded knowingly. "The Crystal was taking the time to update you."

"Why are you sad Rei?" Serena asked suddenly.

Rei looked at her in brief surprise.

"It's just, my mother." Rei said haltingly.

_"Her mother?" _Serena thought to herself.

Unbidden, the Crystal starting filling her in on recent events.

Rei stayed quiet, for she could tell that Serena was somewhere else by her unfocused eyes.

A few minutes later Serena spoke.

"So, they found your mother." Serena said quietly, now understanding why Rei felt so sad.

"Yes. It seems that when Beryl did the memory transfer spell, she left my mother empty of all emotions and thoughts. My mother is just an empty shell now, unknowing, uncaring, and unmoving. You're the only one of us who has a mother now." Rei finished quietly.

Rei wasn't crying though she sure felt like doing so, but Rei wasn't the kind of person to show her emotions in front of someone. So she hid her tears from Serena, but she couldn't hide her pain, for Serena felt that too.

Serena knew that Rei needed to deal with the pain of losing her mother on her own, but she clutched tightly at Rei's hands.

Rei understood that Serena meant that Rei would find comfort there if she needed it.

Rei smiled.

"So where are we? Where is everybody?" Serena asked.

"We're on the Moon. In the Moon Palace of the Silver Millennium Kingdom." Rei answered. "All the Sailor Scouts are here, doing their own thing. Your mother is back on Earth conversing with the Governing Royals of England and the Prince of the Earth, explaining everything."

"I wonder how Endy is, uh, Endymion is taking the information." Serena wondered aloud, blushing a slight pink.

Rei smiled at Serena's little slip up of Endymion's name, but she let it slide.

"We'll find out soon." Rei assured her.

"Where's Sammy?" Serena asked.

"Oh, he's here too. We got him cleaned up, and well fed." Rei explained.

"Good, I want to thank him." Serena muttered as she stifled a yawn.

Then the yawn burst out in full force.

"You've slept for two whole days, and you're still tired?" Rei asked in disbelief.

"I haven't been sleeping exactly." Serena explained. "I've been having History lessons the entire time, so I'm not exactly rested."

"Well, tell that Crystal to shut down for a while and let you get some actual sleep. You'll need it for when your mother returns. She'll want to talk." Rei informed her.

"Okay." Serena said as she closed her eyes.

As Rei gently stood up to leave, Serena said something else.

"Thank you Rei." She muttered sleepily. "And thanks to everyone else too."

"You're welcome, Princess." Rei responded, even though she was sure that Serena was already asleep.

Serena fell into an actually peaceful sleep as soon as she had closed her eyes.

She dreamed mostly about Endymion.

The Crystal, seeing that Serena had the Prince of the Earth on her mind, supplied some information about him, but in such a way that Serena slept on while learning.

Serena learned almost everything about him, from his favorite color, to his favorite food.

When she next woke up, it was five hours later. She felt much more rested, and very happy.

The sunlight that had filtered through her window earlier was gone.

Now the room was lit with a soft silver light that she hadn't seen before.

With a yawn she tossed the silver colored silk sheets off of her feet, and sat up with her legs over the side of the bed.

There were little delicate silver satin slippers sitting just inches from her feet.

She slipped her feet into them, and as she had expected, they fitted her perfectly.

She still wore her Princess Serenity gown, still pure white, and not a wrinkle was in it even though she had slept in it for two days and five hours.

Personally, to Serena it seemed more the sort of a nightgown rather than a day dress, but she guessed she could get used to it. It was very pretty, and floating, and, well, beautiful. Serena loved wearing pretty things.

Serena stood up and walked over to her window.

She breathed in deeply, and her eyes widened in awe at the sight before her eyes.

The Earth was floating in the sky! The sky was the deep black of space, sprinkled everywhere with little twinkling white dots that were stars. The Earth hung suspended in the middle of it all. She could see the white mass of clouds moving across Earth's surface, and she could see the blue expanse of water that covered most of the world, and she could see the shapes of the lands floating upon the water too.

"I guess the Earth is their Moon here." Serena said softly. "It's bigger seeing it here than the Moon looks when seen from Earth."

Serena stepped back from the window and looked around her room.

On the same wall as the window, just further down, were two intricately carved doors.

She walked slowly over and opened them.

They swung soundlessly inward, and she stepped out onto a large balcony.

She walked up to the railing, which was made to look like large roses.

She gently placed her hands on the white marble rail, and looked over.

She could see a very beautiful garden below, with all sorts of flowers and plants. Some ways further past the garden there was maze made from some sort of hedge that had pretty flowers blooming all over it. From her balcony she could see which route led to the middle and then led back out.

She saw a large lake with crystal blue waters.

To her far right she saw the outline of a large city. She could tell that it must have many beautiful buildings.

She looked back to the garden and could see a couple people milling about in it.

She leaned forward to try and bring the people into focus, but her hand slipped off the rail and she commenced to fall over.

Soft hands caught her by the waist and hauled her back up to a standing position.

"Careful there, dear." Queen Serenity said with a small smile on her lips. "You don't want to become just another pretty little flower in the garden, now do you?"

Serena giggled.

"No, I wouldn't." She said with a smile as she looked back down upon the people in the garden.

"Lita is showing Sammy around the garden. Lita loves plants of all kinds, and is very talented at growing and caring for them." Serenity explained.

"Oh." Serena acknowledged. She decided that she needed to ask the Crystal for information on Lita so she could get to know her better. "Where are the others?"

"Ami is taking a swim in the Silver Lake. Rei is sitting in her mother's shrine, meditating with the Ancient Fire. Mina is sleeping after eating a big meal. Hotaru is reading in her room. Amora and Michelle are practicing their battle moves in our training room, and Setsuna is back at the Time Gate." Serenity explained.

Serena opened her mouth to ask about one other person, but Serenity didn't need telling.

"Prince Endymion is on Earth talking with his parents and his generals. He'll be visiting us up here soon." She added with a sad smile.

Serena smiled widely at the thought of seeing him again!

"Serena, there is something I must tell you, before anything else happens." Serenity stated softly.

Serena looked at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Come with me." Serenity said quietly.

Serena followed her mother out of her room, and through many corridors, and down many staircases. She noticed that almost everything in the palace from the floors to the ceilings was white marble.

She followed her mother out of the palace and into the garden she had seen from her balcony.

As they walked through the garden, Serena kept a lookout for Lita and Sammy, but she didn't see them.

When they were some yards away from the palace, Serena turned around and took a good look at the Silver Millennium Palace.

"Mother, this is just what is painted on a wall back in the Palace in England!" Serena exclaimed.

"Yes, Queen Ikoku and King Kenji had it painted, in the hopes that it would make you familiar with that Moon Princess part of yourself." Serenity explained.

They soon entered the maze, and made their way to the center.

There they came upon a large gazebo that Serena hadn't seen from her balcony. White lattices made the walls, and blooming ivy added a bit of color to the white. Rose bushes were planted all around the outside bottom of the gazebo.

"Roses are my favorite flower!" Serena exclaimed happily as she bent over and smelled the nearest roses.

"I know, Ikoku told me. That's why we grew so many, and why your balcony railing is shaped like roses." Serenity explained.

They climbed the four steps into the gazebo.

Serena was happy to see that everyone was there.

Ami with Luna on her shoulder, Mina with Artemis on her shoulder, Lita, Rei, Amora, Michelle, Hotaru, Sammy, Ikoku, Kenji, Endymion, Andrew, Nephrite, Kunzite, Jedite, Zoisite, and even Prince Alan who stood a little apart from the others. Setsuna was the only one not present, but that's okay. She would know what went on here.

"Good, everyone is here." Serenity stated as she walked, well it looked more like she floated than walked, to the center of the room. "Please friends, sit."

Everyone took a seat on a long bench that ran all along the walls, from one side of the door to the other.

Serena, though she wished to sit as close to Endymion as she could, instead sat beside Queen Serenity. She beamed at everyone, and they couldn't help but smile back at her. Her happiness was contagious.

"I'd like to start on a happy note." Queen Serenity started. "I'd like to thank you all for helping to find and protect my daughter, Princess Serenity. Thank you even to those who didn't know they were doing it."

A soft chuckled went around the room.

Queen Serenity's face became very serious then.

"Some of you may think that Beryl was permanently destroyed. She wasn't, just sent back to her own dark universe, which are many universes away from our own. She will be back eventually, and in force no doubt. The Moon Kingdom is the only defense against her before she reaches Earth. She's already destroyed all the other planets. I know that she wants to destroy Earth and the Moon Kingdom before she moves onto the other universes out there. The reason behind this is that, the Moon Kingdom has the most Sailor Scouts than any other universe. Take them out and she's taken the largest part of the threat against herself away. Also, should she get the Impearium Silver Crystal for herself she could destroy most if not all of the universes with it along with her self. She doesn't seem to understand that she can't control the Crystal, and I doubt she ever will understand that. The reason she wants Earth destroyed so badly, is because it has allied itself with the Moon Kingdom, and should she ever return Earth would fight against her with us. But sadly even with Earth allied to us, we don't have enough forces to completely defeat Beryl, not if the information we have about her forces are true. That is why Prince Alan is here with us."

Prince Alan stood up and slowly walked over to in front of Serenity, bowed, and turned to face the others, standing just a little in front and to the side of Serenity.

His face showed no emotion.

"His father and I have made an alliance treaty. Already signed and everything." Queen Serenity continued. "The conditions of the treaty have not yet been fulfilled, but within the next two days they will be. With them as Earth's and our allies, our forces combined should be enough to stop Beryl permanently should she return. Now about those conditions that need fulfilled."

Queen Serenity waved a hand and a long piece of paper appeared in her lap, covered in elegant curvy handwriting in black ink.

She handed the paper over to Serena, and told her to read the lighted part.

Serena looked at the paper or scroll as it was called here.

It all looked very official as her eyes scanned the page to the find the paragraph that was silver rather than black.

She began to read.

"This alliance shall take effect only when the two conditions stated below is fulfilled. One, that the daughter of the Moon Queen, Princess Serenity, gi—"

Serena trailed off and read the last bit of the paragraph in silence.

Everyone, but Prince Alan and Queen Serenity, held their breaths and waited for her to continue.

When she was finished reading her hands were clutching the paper so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and the paper was in danger of tearing.

She slowly laid the paper down on her lap. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. Her cheeks were flushed with an angry red tinge.

She opened her eyes, and turned to look at Serenity.

She opened her mouth to speak several times, but nothing ever came out.  
Then she finally found her voice.

"Every question that I have the Impearium Silver Crystal answers, or you had answered earlier. So I know the why, and I understand the why, but I am . . . angry about it to say the least." Serena said quietly and everyone could tell that she was holding her anger back.

Rei, Mina, Ikoku and Kenji all knew that Serena didn't get angry often, but when she did major disaster followed.

"I knew that you would be at least a little upset about it." Serenity started to confess, but Serena interrupted.

"A little?" She cried. "I don't even know him, and you expect me to marry him?"

She gestures toward Alan who is turning slightly pink in the cheeks.

Everyone was in shock. Even Sammy became completely still, his legs paused in mid swing.

"His father wouldn't accept anything else. I tried, but he would only accept an alliance through marriage. The second condition states that the new the bride must go to live on the Prince's world, I can't go my people need me. You were the only hope left if we were to save our people. It had to be done, so I betrothed you to him though I knew you probably wouldn't be happy about it. Prince Alan's not happy about it either."

"Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one." Serena interrupted.

"I'm so sorry about this, but neither of you have a choice in the matter." Serenity finished with a tone of finality.

"I think we both know that." Serena whispered, but in the silence of the gazebo, everybody heard it as if it was a shout.

Serena elegantly stood up, placed the alliance treaty on her empty chair, and strode out of the gazebo with her head held high, though a single tear did fall down her cheek.

Endymion watched her go, as unnoticed by him everyone in the gazebo looked at him to see his reaction.

His face was blank, but his heart was breaking.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

By LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Authors note: I love music! I love listening to music all the time! I wanted to use a song in here, but I didn't want to use someone elses song. Because I once did a songfic to Martina McBride's Concrete Angel, it didn't get many reviews and I forgot about it. A couple years later, I got banned for it, couldn't post for 3 months going on four, and so I left fanfiction, and only came back recently as LadyPrin instead of RoseWomen. Since I don't want to get banned again, I came up with my own song. I hope you enjoy it!

Sailor Galaxia stood watching the balls in the Cauldron.

So far no punishment had been handed her, but she knew that she was just waiting.

She had seen everything that had happened and heard everything that had been said in the gazebo.

She didn't like it anymore than Serena and Endymion did.

The future had been changed when Galaxia had snatched Serena and Serenity from their time.

Serena's wedding to Prince Alan had not been meant to happen, but to Galaxia it was preferable to Serena being dead.

But that didn't make Serena and Endymion's pain any less.

It had been an hour since the meeting in the gazebo. Serena had found her way out of the maze and was walking toward the lake.

Endymion had returned home and was just standing in his own garden staring unseeingly at the flowers around him.

Galaxia held the two balls in mid air above the Cauldron. One showed Serena, the other showed Endymion.

Galaxia was reminded of a song she had overheard once many lifetimes ago from another image ball.

She started singing it while watching the two lovers, and oddly enough Serena and Endymion seemed to make the song true in ways that Galaxia thought the writer of the song might never have thought of.

"When the silver moonlight shines across the frozen lake,"

(Serena was sitting on her knees beside the lake now, staring at her reflection in the water. Suddenly she hit the water with both fists and the whole lake turns into solid ice.)

"As your heart in your chest starts to break,"

(Endymion just let the tears flow, hoping that the plants were the only witnesses to his pain and tears.)

"The flowers all around you shall die, and the blue shall drain out of the now blackened sky,"

(The flowers around Endymion were overwhelmed with his pain. They couldn't deal with it, and so wilted. Above them, the sky slowly turned to the black of night.)

"Your feelings will show in the world around you, as your sorrow is reflected back at you,"

(Serena still saw her reflection in the ice. She saw her tear stained cheeks, her red puffy eyes, and she buried her head in her hands as the tears flowed some more.)

"The world knows how you feel, as you come to understand it's real,"

(Serena looks up at the Earth that still hung in the Moon's sky.)

"It's real,"

(Endymion looks up at the Moon)

"Your love was strong but brief,"

(Serena stood up and started walking back to the palace.)

"Almost like a falling leaf, broken from the branch it falls, to the ground without a pause,"

(Endymion notices a single leaf as it breaks from the branch of a tree without any reason, and floated slowly to the ground.)

"No wind blew to sweep it away, on the frozen ground it lay,"

(Endymion watched this solitary leaf, seeing it as a symbol of his love for Serena, hoping that the wind would blow and lift it up, and thereby give him hope that there was still a chance for Serena to be his.)

"Only to be covered up by time,"

(A skittish rabbit shot out from under a bush and trampled the leaf.)

"It never had a chance to shine,"

(Endymion went over and gently picked up what was left of the leaf by its stem. It wasn't even a full-grown leaf yet.)

"You are forced to wed another, forced to keep your emotions under, lock and key, how can this be?"

(Serena wonders into the Palace.)

"Your love for him you must forget, and stop seeing his silhouette, in every shadow that you see,"

(Serena paused for a moment as she thought she saw Endymion standing underneath the grand staircase. She let out a woeful sigh as she realized it was just a shadow.)

"Come on girl let it be, the more you think the more you yearn,"

(Endymion closed his hand around the leaf and held it to his chest.)

"The more you ask the more you learn, it's a love you should never show, and to them never say no,"

(Serena climbed the stairs to her room. She knew she couldn't say no to this marriage. No one would listen if she did, and she couldn't let her people down, neither the Earth people nor the Moon Children. Queen Serenity loved calling the Moon people, Moon Children.)

"You know you can act like you don't care,"

(Ami, Lita, Rei and Mina met her outside her door, asking if she was all right. She told them she was fine, even faked a smile before going into her room and closing the door.)

"But the love will always be there,"

(Ami, Lita, Rei and Mina all knew that she wasn't fine. They were connected to her now, both as friends and protectors, and they could feel her pain. Just like Nephrite, Jedite, Zoisite, and Kunzite could feel Endymion's pain, but they knew better than to ask if he was all right for they already knew the real answer, and they already knew the answer Endymion would give.)

"Both of you will know it, even though you never show it, the love in your hearts will always be there,"

(Serena stands on her balcony, sitting on the railing and staring at the Earth.)

"And a connection you both will always share,"

(Endymion still stood in his garden. Staring at the Moon.)

"But whether or not it will ever show, only time will tell and Heaven know,"

(Serena finally looks away from the Earth and stares at the floor of the balcony.)

"Only time will tell and Heaven, know."

(On that last word of the song, Endymion lets go of the leaf and it floats to the ground to stay.)

Galaxia lays the balls back into the Cauldron, and turns away.

Unshed tears in her eyes.

Please stay tuned, more to come!!! And yes, Ann will be showing up here soon!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Serena was having a restless night.

All her dreams seemed to have an imposing dark shadow over them. Even when she dreamed about Endymion that shadow was always there, hissing at the edges of her dreams waiting for the moment to strike.

And burning red eyes glowed in every shadow in her dreams.

Serena became so scared that tears started flowing down her cheeks while her eyes were still close, and she was still sleeping.

The Impearium Silver Crystal did its best to calm her, but the only way to calm her completely was to change her dreams. The Impearium Silver Crystal didn't have the power to control dreams, no one but the Dream Weaver could, but it seemed that the Dream Weaver was busy with other people's dreams.

So the Crystal did the next best thing it could to calm her.

It took Serena's spirit out of her body, thus taking her mind out of any dreams her brain may generate.

Serena didn't know that she was no longer in her body, but she did notice that something was different, in a good way.

The Impearium Silver Crystal took her spirit for a fly over the Moon's surface. It showed her the peaceful lake, the peaceful sleeping city, and the peaceful garden.

Serena became calmer with no shadow hovering nearby, and no eyes watching her.

Then something happened that the Impearium Silver Crystal didn't mean to happen.

Everything went black for a split second, and then started to lighten slowly.

Serena felt the familiar feeling of having entered another person's mind.

Sorrow and anger assaulted Serena from all sides, and she had to use the Crystal to lesson the assault of emotions.

This person's mind smelled strongly of some sort of flower, not fire that Serena had sensed in Rei's mind.

Serena blinked a few times and saw that she was looking at a chipping black stone wall. Green fungus grew on almost every part of it.

Serena realized when she blinked again, that she was not only in the mind of another, but seeing through that person's eyes as well.

Something metal scraped against stone, and the person's head jerked around.

This person was in a prison cell, and the iron barred door was being opened.

Obviously it was very heavy from the harsh scraping that sounded as it opened.

The person that Serena was in stood up and pulled against the chains that held her to the wall.

Anger swelled in the person's heart as she pulled.

Serena recognized the shape shifter that had captured her on the battlefield only two or three days ago.

She wore no guise now as she walked up to her prisoner.

"Queen Beryl wishes to see you." She said with a blood-chilling smile, as she dug her claws into the person's shoulders and they disappeared from the prison cell.

They reappeared in a dark corridor just a few feet from two big wooden doors.

The doors swung in on their own as the shape shifter and her prisoner walked through.

The shape shifter pushed the person to their knees in front of a black throne that rested upon a high platform that had steps leading up to it.

In the throne Beryl sat. Her dark purple dress flowed down the steps like poisoned water about to flood the room. Her flaming red hair draped across the arms of her chair like snakes about to rise up. Her light purplish skin glowed softly in the darkness of the room. Her red eyes were dim, but full of evil, and . . . happiness?

Beryl rose from her throne and descended the steps. Her dress was so long that Serena was surprised that she didn't trip over it.

Queen Beryl was now only a few steps away from the kneeling prisoner.

"I knew that taking you off the hands of that foolish King was an advantage for me. He didn't even realize what damage I could do with you in my hands." Beryl chuckled.

The prisoner snarled at her.

"He did say you were too strong willed to control." Beryl admitted. "But I'm not wanting to control you."

Beryl reached out a long nailed hand toward the prisoner's forehead.

The prisoner pulled back as far as she could, but Beryl's hand still found her.

It was so cold that it was actually painful.

Serena heard a scream echoing off the walls of the room, and she couldn't tell if it was the prisoner's, her own, or both mixed together.

The mind of the prisoner flashed white, and Serena found that she was no longer in it. She was above the prisoner now.

She saw Beryl take her hand away from a young woman.

The shape shifter let go of her as the young woman collapsed to the ground.

Her long pink hair fell over her face and shoulders. Her pointy ears protruded out from under her hair. And her light red eyes stared unseeingly out at the room from in-between pink strands of hair.

Beryl turned away from her.

"Give her to the guards, they've been wanting a little fun with our prisoner." Beryl commanded.

"It won't be much fun for them if she's not able to scream." The shape shifter informed her softly.

"Don't worry, she's not dead. She'll be able to move in a little while." Beryl explained as she climbed the steps to her throne. "Now leave me!"

The shape shifter bowed, and then dragged the woman out of the room, the doors closing behind her.

Just then, the Impearium Silver Crystal managed to snatch Serena's spirit out of there.

She never saw Beryl look toward the place where Serena had last floated.

She never saw Beryl bare her yellow teeth in a smile of triumph.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Serena woke with a start back in her bedroom.

Her cheeks felt cool, but her forehead felt hot.

She didn't feel any pain in her head, but she kneaded her forehead with a fist at the memory of the woman's pain.

"I don't know her." Serena muttered quietly to herself. "But she looked like one of Alan's species, at least where those pointy ears are concerned. I don't know what's up with the pink hair though. I wonder if that's a natural color for their species?"

Then Serena realized she was babbling.

"What am I doing? She could be dead by now!!!" She cried as she leaped from her bed. "First thing's first, I have to find out if Alan knows her!"

She flew out her door and down the hall, praying that the Impearium Silver Crystal wouldn't alert her mother or her friends to her distress.

The Crystal complied, though reluctantly.

She finally came to Prince Alan's room, where he was staying until the wedding.

She knocked on the doors, quietly at first, but as no answer came she knocked harder.

Finally one of the doors opened to reveal a very sleepy eyed, but alert, Prince Alan. His short brown hair was a mess, his sleeping tunic and pants were rumpled quite a bit, and he held a sword in hand.

When he saw it was she, he lowered the sword, but stared at her in confusion.

"My Lady, what's wrong?" He asked, trying to suppress a yawn.

"I need to talk to you." Serena answered, fighting back a yawn as well that was brought on by Alan's yawn.

She held a hand up to cover her yawn as she quickly pushed her way into Prince Alan's room.

"My Lady, I don't think this is appropriate." Alan started to say as another yawn overtook him.

"I need to talk to you and it cannot wait." Serena said firmly.

Alan glanced from her to the door, and then closed the door gently.

He walked over to his bed and sat down, laying the sword beside him.

"What is it you need to talk about?" He asked.

Then he realized that he was sitting down while his fiancé was still standing. He went to stand back up, but Serena told him to stay.

Serena walked up to him and stared into his eyes.

Her crescent moon symbol on her forehead flared and before Alan knew it he was now in her mind, looking at her memories.

She showed him all that she had seen and heard while inside and by the pink haired woman.

When she had shown him everything, she released him back into his own mind.

He blinked and shook his head a couple times.

"What was that?" He cried, wide eyed.

"Those were my memories of something I saw a few minutes ago." Serena explained. "While I was sleeping I got pulled into another person's mind. Her mind."

"So that was real?" Alan asked, as horror filled his face.

"Yes, I'm sure it was. Do you know her?" Serena asked.

"Yes." Alan answered with a nod. "Her name is Ann. She's my . . . friend."

"Yeah, right." Serena said skeptically.

"I'm about to be married to you, what else should I say?" Alan asked helplessly.

"Yeah, I know." Serena admitted with adverted eyes.

"So what are we going to do?" Alan asked, urgently. "We can't just leave her there to die!"

"We won't, don't worry." Serena assured him. "I've made a plan that I think will work. I need to wake the inner scouts first."

"Well, let's go!" Alan cried as he got up and headed for the door.

Serena caught his arm as he passed her.

"You need to stay here, in the palace." Serena told him.

"I can't!" Alan objected turning around to face her. "Ann needs me! I can't just sit in my room and hope your plan works!!!"

"I'm sorry, but I feel that you need to stay here!" Serena pleaded.

Alan opened his mouth to object some more, and Serena sighed.

"I'm sorry." Serena muttered as her moon symbol flashed.

Alan fell to the floor asleep.

Serena used the Crystal to move him to his bed.

"You'll wake up at dawn. Hopefully we'll be back by then." Serena muttered into his ear. "With your beloved Ann."

"Let me get this straight." Pluto said as she stood in front of the Time Gate, leaning on her granite staff that she held in her hands. "You want me to transport you thousands of universes away, straight into the heart of the Negeverse, INTO Queen Beryl's prison???"

"It sounds so much worse when you say it that way, but yes. That's exactly what I want." Serena answered.

"You're mother wouldn't approve of this crazy rescue mission!!!" Pluto exclaimed.

"Hopefully she won't know about it until after it's all over." Serena told her.

"And we'll be with her to protect her." Mars assured her.

"You all are crazy for letting her go!!!" Pluto yelled at the Inner Scouts who were all gathered around Serena.

"I'd rather have a distant husband than a depressed husband!" Serena told Pluto firmly. "Ann is everything to him, I felt it. If we don't do something to at least try and save her, I don't think Alan will last to the wedding!"

Pluto stared at her for a moment.

"You mean Ann is . . ." Pluto began.

"Ann is to Alan, what Endymion is to me." Serena finished for her.

Pluto looked away as she thought about this.

Then she sighed.

"If you die doing this, you're mother is going to kill me." Pluto informed them.

"Don't worry! You remember your part of the plan?" Serena asked.

"I wait here by the Gate. When I get your message via our mind link, I'll open the doors. If you are in a fight, you'll send Ann in first. I'm to take her straight to Alan, then come back and bring you through. If you're all dead, Ann should know and will tell me." Pluto quoted.

"Exactly!" Serena said.

With a nod, Pluto turned to the Time Gate.

She tapped her staff against the dark colored doors.

Millions of tiny Symbols that stood for planets and galaxies started moving quickly over the surface of the doors, shinning bright silver against the dark color of the wood.

The solid diamond frame that held the doors, were carved with glowing Symbols of all the planets of the solar system. Each symbol was shinning it's own respective color, but none of them moved. At the very top of the framing, shinned the bright gold symbol of the moon.

Eventually two symbols stopped moving across the doors, to stay still one on each door, right where the handles should be.

Pluto explained that the one on the left side showed the planet that Beryl was on, and the one on the right stood for the galaxy Beryl was in.

Pluto tapped her staff once against the pink clouds that were floating gently under their feet.

The doors opened into darkness, and the Sailor Scouts and their Princesses stepped through without hesitation.

Pluto remained worried as she closed the doors.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"It's amazingly dark here!" Venus muttered.

"What else would you expect the home of pure evil to look like?" Mars asked, sarcastically.

"Quiet!" Serena whispered firmly.

The two scouts went silently instantly.

'_Where are we?'_ Mercury asked via their mind links, which had grown amazingly strong and clear in so short a time of usage.

'_We should be right in the dungeon area . . . Yes! Look!' _Serena replied pointing in front of them.

Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness at last, and they could now see the bars that made up the cell doors on each side of the corridor. The dark stone blocks 6/at formed the walls, the floor, and the ceiling looked like they were seething with evil and none of the girls wanted to touch it. All of them were glad they had thick shoes on.

They walked on down the corridor, glancing into each cell they passed.

'_Hopefully we'll have a little time before we're noticed.' _Jupiter muttered through their mind links.

'_There is exactly a 5.9 chance that we'll be discovered in the next thirteen seconds.' _Mercury informed them.

'_Thank goodness I was never any good with math. I don't have the slightest idea what Mercury just said, so it shouldn't worry me at all.' _Venus stated happily.

'_Look!' _Serena exclaimed as she stopped in front of a cell door.

All five girls looked inside, but could only see a huddled mass in the darkness.

"Hello?" Serena whispered urgently.

It was only a whisper, but in the silent darkness it sounded really loud.

The huddled mass moved slightly at the sound of Serena's voice.

"Ann?" Serena tried again.

This time the mass turned around a little.

They still couldn't see who it was, but a voice spoke an answer to Serena's inquiry.

"Who's there?"

"That's Ann's voice. I know it is!" Serena exclaimed, then she spoke directly to Ann. "My name is Serena, and these are my friends the Sailor Scouts. We're here to rescue you! Alan sent us."

"Alan? Is he okay? Where is he? Has she gotten to him yet?" Ann cried as she lunged toward the cell door.

It seemed that Ann couldn't stand, she could just hold onto the cell door bars to hold her up. She held on so hard that her knuckles turned white with the effort, though no one could see them in the darkness.

"I'm sick of this darkness." Mars muttered.

Using her powers of fire, Mars produced a small flame in the palm of her hand.

Everyone winced as the light hurt their eyes for the first few seconds.

Once their eyes adjusted, they looked around, sure that the light would attract someone or something.

Nothing moved anywhere nearby.

They looked back at Ann.

Ann looked just as Serena had seen her. Only she looked paler, and her pink hair was dirtier, and there was a weak look in her red eyes.

"So how are we going to break open the cell door?" Venus asked.

Mercury whipped out her compact computer and ran a scan on the door.

"This door is protected against the powers of our elements. Fire, lightening, water, and heart cannot break it." She exclaimed tapping her computer keyboard.

"Then let's try something new." Serena announced.

The Sailor Scouts and Ann watched as Serena reached behind herself into thin air, but it wasn't really thin air. It was a dimension pocket. Serena and all the Sailor Scouts had made some for themselves before they came. The pockets held anything the girls wanted or thought they'd need.

Serena pulled her hand out to reveal a little steel container in her hand.

The girls all grinned as Serena carefully opened the lid.

"Ann get as far back from the door as you can." Serena ordered Ann.

Ann let go of the door, and dragged herself across the floor to the other side of the room.

Serena inserted the small container in between two bars, right above the lock.

She then tilted the container and leg just a glob of acid drip from the corner of the container onto the lock.

It melted the entire lock in two minutes flat; fell to the stone floor, preceded to burn through that, and who knows if anything would stop it later on.

Serena carefully closed the lid of the container, and then placed it back into her 'pocket', as Jupiter kicked the door open.

It opened without a sound, but hit the wall with a resounding clank.

The whole floor began to shake.

"We're busted!" Mars cried.

"Quickly, get Ann!" Serena yelled.

They rushed into the cell, and Jupiter picked up Ann in her arms.

'_Pluto, open the door!' _Serena commanded.

Suddenly a wall of the cell started to swirl like a black whole, and then it turned pinkish, and became an open arched doorway into a pinky cloudy world.

"Serena!" Venus cried.

Monsters started crowding the doorway to the cell.

Serena was about to signal them all to go through the time door, when something caught her attention.

'_Help, me, somebody, please.' _A weak voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Serena used the Impearium Silver Crystal to quickly search the dungeon area, and sure enough found another prisoner a few cells down.

Her life sign was weak and fading fast.

"There's someone else here!" Serena cried, just as Mars, Venus, and Mercury let loose attacks on the monsters in the doorway.

Serena turned to Jupiter.

"Jupiter, plan B! Take her to Pluto and then come back!" Serena commanded.

"Yes, my Princess." Jupiter replied with a hurried short bow, and then she entered the door of pink clouds.

She found Pluto waiting on the other side.

Jupiter laid Ann down in front of Pluto, a few feet from the door.

"She's hurt, but she should be alright. Take her to Alan. I'm going back to help the others, there's another prisoner in there that needs help!" Jupiter hurriedly explained.

"Should I leave the door open for you?" Pluto asked, placing a comforting hand on Ann's shoulder.

"No, the monsters could get in that way. Close it. We'll contact you via mind link when we need the door." Jupiter replied.

"Okay then." Pluto replied.

Jupiter turned around and ran back through the door, back into the darkness.

As the last of Jupiter's auburn hair disappeared, Pluto tapped her staff on the pink clouds at her feet, and the Time Gate closed.

Pluto wrapped one of Ann's arms over her shoulders, and then lifted Ann to her feet.

Then she turned the Time Gate to the Moon Kingdom's coordinates, and stepped through.

Back in the dungeons, Serena and her friends had beaten most of the monsters back, enough so that they had managed to ease their way out of their cell and down the corridor to the cell of the other prisoner.

Serena used the same technique with the acid to open this door as well.

This time the Sailor Scouts stood outside sending attacks to the monsters while Serena entered the cell alone.

"Hey there? Are you still alive? We're here to help you!" Serena cried as she knelt by the curled up girl.

She could tell the person was a girl by the tattered remains of a dress that she wore.

Serena laid a hand on the girl's shoulder and shook her gently.

The girl stirred enough to bring her head up out of her lap, and look at her with dim red eyes.

Serena stared at her for a moment.

Then she turned in the direction of the other cell they had just been to.

Then she looked back at the girl with wide blue eyes.

"You're . . . " Serena started to say.

Then she lunged away from the girl, and ran to the open door of the cell.

She leaned out and shouted to the Sailor Scouts.

Her shout was so loud it echoed around the corridor and empty cells, taunting them with the deadly mistake they had just made.

"WE SENT THE WRONG ONE THROUGH THE GATE!!!" Serena cried. "WE SENT BERYL THROUGH THE GATE!!!"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-two

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"Welcome back, Prince Endymion. To what may I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Queen Serenity asked, as she walked into the throne room to find Prince Endymion standing before the throne in his shiny black armor.

"My parents have sent me with presents for the Moon Princess in celebration of her engagement." Prince Endymion announced, though his voice sounded dull, almost lifeless.

"I thank you and them for their generous gifts." Queen Serenity responded, seeing the three big packages lying on the floor by his feet.

Queen Serenity suddenly had an idea.

"It's morning, and Serena must already be up. Why don't we go surprise her with the gifts?" She asked, and almost smiled as she saw the spark of life in Endymion's eyes at the prospect of meeting Serena again. "Follow me then."

Prince Endymion picked up the packages and dutifully followed Queen Serenity through the door of the throne room and down the hall, silently fighting down the excitement he felt for being able to see Serena before her wedding and the pain he felt at the goodbye he knew must follow their meeting.

They had to cross through the ball room in order to get to the staircase that lead to the second floor, but they stopped short when they saw Prince Alan pacing the floor by the staircase.

He was all dressed in his crisp Prince uniform, but his hair was all shuffled like as if he hadn't combed it yet.

As they watched, Prince Alan's hair started turning slowly blue and lengthening.

Prince Alan would notice it, and stop just long enough to turn it back to brown and short before starting up his pacing again.

Queen Serenity turned to Endymion and whispered.

"In Prince Alan's species, the males have blue hair and the females have pink hair. Prince Alan has explained to me that he made his hair brown so that he wouldn't look out of place, or be mistaken for a Mercurian. He also informed me that his hair might start turning back to it's blue and longish state if he got really worried and lost control over the spell that keeps it brown and short. He must be worried now. I wonder about what."

Queen Serenity quietly walked forward toward Alan who didn't notice her until she was only a few steps away from him.

Alan stopped his pacing and stood up straight, and then he bowed to the Queen.

"May I ask what worries you Prince Alan?" Queen Serenity asked in a calm voice that sounded almost like she was just talking about the whether.

"What makes you think I'm worried?" Alan asked in reply.

He didn't seem to notice that his hair was turning blue again.

Queen Serenity turned to smile at Endymion who had sat the packages down on the floor again and was standing with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"It doesn't really matter what galaxy one is from. There are some things that all living intelligent beings have in common." Queen Serenity turned back to Alan. "Just like trying to advert suspicion when one is worried by asking what makes one think the other is worried."

Alan looked at her for a moment, and then sighed.

"Yes, I'm worried. I admit that. I'm worried sick." Alan answered starting his pacing again, his hair now all the way to his waist and as blue as the sky of Earth.

"About what?" Serenity asked.

"People in general." Alan tried to be vague about it, but Serenity wasn't having any of it.

Serenity sighed at the prospect of having to do this, but she realized she wasn't going to get a straight answer from this man.

"Alan." She spoke firmly, and Alan paused abruptly in his pacing to look at her with wide-open eyes.

Queen Serenity's crescent moon symbol glowed on her forehead and she entered the memories of Prince Alan. She saw everything from the moment her daughter woke Prince Alan up in the middle of the night; right up to the moment she put Alan to sleep.

She also dug back deep enough within the Prince's memories to find out who this Ann was to him.

When she withdrew from his mind, he rubbed the back of his head.

The bump was still there from when he'd hit the floor.

"That's the second—no wait, that's not the second time someone's invaded my memories. I mean the first time she drew me into her own memories, and now you just drew yourself into my memories. Isn't there any privacy in this family???" Prince Alan exclaimed.

"Not really where the women are concerned." Queen Serenity explained. "We get drawn into memories of others whether we want to or not."

"Just like Serena was with Ann earlier." Alan muttered.

"Yes. Just like that." Queen Serenity said softly.

Endymion stood at attention wondering what was going on. What were they saying? What did they mean by what they said?

Just then a big door of swirling pink clouds formed up on the opposite side of the ballroom. On the farthest side form them by the entrance door.

Two people stepped out.

Pluto still supported Ann, though when they came fully out of the door, Ann insisted on standing on her own.

Alan stood still for a moment, taking in the sight of his true love standing before him, dirty, pale, and in torn clothes.

Then he was streaking across the floor of the ballroom toward her, crying her name as he went.

She staggered along the floor of the ballroom, crying his name too.

Nobody in the room had even a hint of the evil that was staggering toward the Prince in the disguise of the girl he loved.

And the ones who knew the truth were too far away to warn them.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"I can't reach Pluto through my mind link!" Serena cried. "Something is blocking me! I can't even reach my mother!"

"What do we do now?" Mars asked. "We can't hold off these monsters forever, and they just keep on coming. Beryl could already have killed Prince Alan by now!"

"And the Moon Kingdom and Earth could be in pieces too!!!" Venus cried.

There was silence for a moment.

Everybody had thought that possibility, but only Venus had been scared enough to cry it out loud.

Serena thought for a moment as the others continued to pelt the monsters with fireballs, heart shaped chains, huge water balls, and lightening bolts.

"I know how we can get to them!" Serena suddenly cried. "Close the cell door!"

Mars threw the door shut, and Venus locked it in place using her Venus Love Me Chain Encircle attack.

Then Mercury threw water on the metal bars, and then Jupiter hit them with lightening.

The electrified bars held the monsters back for a few precious moments.

Jupiter and Serena helped Ann to her feet, luckily for them she could stand on her own.

"Ann, stand in the middle. Scouts form a circle around her. Hold hands with each other." Serena directed.

When the Scouts touched hands with each other and the Princess they knew immediately what Serena had in mind.

They closed their eyes as Ann watched in silent anticipation.

She had heard about the Sailor Scouts, and their amazing powers. She had also heard about the Moon Princess, though not much because she had to be mostly kept secret for the first fourteen years of her life.

The Scouts and Serena began to glow their respective colors, and it looked like invisible wind blew as their skirts and hair flew upward.

Ann's long pink hair billowed as well, all up in front of her face to where she couldn't see anymore.

Then the wind suddenly died down, and she brushed the hair from her eyes, only to see a scene that almost broke her heart.

The other Ann, and the Prince were almost to each other.

The Sailor Scouts didn't need to be told what to do, they all knew what they had to do, and they did it as one.

"Mercury Aqua Illusion!!!" Mercury cried and a whole group of bubbles descended upon the room to hide the running Ann from the Prince's eyes, and the eyes of the Queen and Endymion.

Alan stopped short when he couldn't see where he was going. Endymion pulled his sword from its sheath in one swift silent motion. Queen Serenity's moon symbol started glowing as she powered up with the Impearium Silver Crystal.

"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!"

Pluto watched in silent shock as Venus used her heart shaped chain to grab the other Ann and yanked her toward them.

Jupiter tackled the other Ann when Venus had pulled her closed enough.

Together Jupiter and Venus tied her up in the chain.

She protested a lot, and loudly.

"What are you doing? You just saved me! Why are you tying me up now? What's gotten into you?" She cried.

The bubbles lifted to show Alan, Endymion and Serenity what was going on.

Everyone was in surprise to see two Ann's, one in chains and the other standing beside Serena.

Mars quietly moved Serena away from the Ann who was still standing.

"How do we tell which one is the real one?" Jupiter cried from the floor where she sat on top of the chained up Ann. "I mean; the one standing beside you could be the fake one for all we know!"

Serena looked at the standing up Ann.

"You'll be able to tell in a moment." The standing up Ann explained. "She only copied my memories and looks. She didn't take them completely. She used this spell mainly because it was quick to use and cost less energy, but it's very short lived. The spell will wear off in a moment and you'll see for sure who the real Ann is."

Everyone in the room stayed still as a statue, waiting, watching.

The moments ticked by in a painful slowness as they all stared at the two Ann's.

The two Ann's stared at each other.

Jupiter had gotten off of the chained up Ann and was standing with the other Scouts, her muscles tensing in anticipation of a fight.

'_Nephrite, Jedite, Kunzite, Zoisite.' _Endymion called via his mind link to his generals.

They all answered in union.

'_I'm in the Moon Palace's ballroom. I may need your help. Beryl is about to make an appearance.' _Endymion stated.

'_We're on our way to the portal!' _They answered quickly.

A couple more minutes passed, then one of the Ann's started to change.

Her pink hair turned a dark shade of red, and turned wavy. Her skin started going purple. Her clothes started transforming from rags into the dark purple gown Beryl favored. Her body began to lengthen and change shape in places.

Yes, this time the Scouts had not made a mistake. The chained up Ann was really Queen Beryl.

Fury showed on the face of Prince Alan as he realized he had come so close to embracing pure evil.

"Hey! We have the enemy tied up!" Venus cheered happily.

But before anyone else could celebrate, Beryl vanished from her chains in a puff of dark purple smoke.

As the chains clattered to the floor with chinks and clanks, Venus turned to the others looking dejected.

"I knew it wouldn't last for long." She muttered.

Everyone heard the evil laughter that reverberated off the walls and echoed around the high domed room.

But only Serena could see the huge glowing red eyes that hung in the air in the middle of the room, staring straight at her.

This time Serena knew whose eyes they were. She knew this was no dream.

Fear pierced her heart like a knife, and she staggered back and fell over her own feet.

Queen Serenity felt the fear like it was her own, and using the Impearium Silver Crystal saw what Serena saw.

As Endymion and the Scouts rushed to Serena's side, Queen Serenity started glowing pure white.

White mist filled the air.

Serena could still see the eyes, but the eyes were now looking upon Queen Serenity.

The fear Serena felt started pulling out of her heart, and she was able to think clearer.

She wasn't a baby anymore. She wasn't helpless.

She had her friends and mother beside her, willing to help her.

She had her full powers now and she knew how to use them.

And those were just big eyes.

The evil behind them couldn't hurt her so long as she believed in herself and her friends and family.

The others helped her to stand up.

Queen Serenity threw a ball of energy at the place in the air where the eyes should be.

The eyes vanished before the ball could hit them.

That's when the generals rushed in through the ballroom entrance.

"Don't tell me, we're too late?" Nephrite said jokingly.

Jupiter snickered.

"NO!" Pluto cried as she spun around to look at the Time Gate she had forgotten to close.

Monsters started pouring out of it by the dozens.

"It seems you're just in time." Beryl's voice mocked them from the air, as the Scouts, the Moon Princess, Moon Queen, Earth Prince, Earth Generals, Showma Prince, and Ann prepared for another battle.

Would this be the one Galaxia had warned about?

The one that would tip the scales of good and evil back in the right direction?

If so, what sacrifice would good have to make?

Who would have to die?


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

The battle in the throne room was immense, but no one outside the throne room door knew anything of it.

The battle went un-noticed by the Palace staff and the civilians of the Moon Kingdom.

Queen Serenity or Princess Serena could have called via their mind links to the outer Scouts who were just a couple floors up, but the idea hadn't occurred to them yet. The outer Scouts were not as connected with the Princess or Queen yet so they didn't feel the fear Serena felt, not like the inner Scouts had.

The battle raged wildly, uncontrollably, but the good side seemed to be winning.

Each attack the Scouts sent out hit their mark straight on.

Each energy ball that Prince Alan and Ann managed to conjure up hit their marks as well.

Queen Serenity wiped out dozens in waves of great energy.

Prince Endymion cut down many with his sword, and distracted many for the Scouts to destroy by hitting them with sharp-stemmed roses that he conjured up and threw as if they were darts.

When Alan didn't have enough energy left to spend on energy balls, he drew his sword and used it just like Endymion used his.

Ann spent most of what little energy she had left on energy balls, and then just leaned against a wall, willing herself not to fall down. She didn't want to get stepped on, accidentally or otherwise.

In what seemed like years, but was only hours, they managed to stop the flow enough for Pluto to close the doors of the Gate.

"Call the others!" Pluto cried above the horrible noise that the monsters and the clashing of swords on stone, metal and armor made.

"What others?" Queen Serenity cried as she used her long scepter to send another wave of energy at the monsters.

"The outers!" Pluto cried in reply as she used her staff to hit the monsters and block their blows that were aimed at her.

Queen Serenity tried their mind links.

"I can't reach them!!!" Queen Serenity cried after a moment.

"Neither can I!" Serena yelled, as she struck down a monster with the same sword she had used in the previous battle back on Earth, the crescent moon on its hilt glowed a bright gold.

She had summoned it a while back, when the monsters had closed in too much, and she had been in danger of hitting one of her friends as well as the enemy.

Serena's head jerked around as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Where are they?" Ann asked her urgently.

Serena paused for moment, her eyes going out of focus.

"I can't speak to them via my mind link, but I can sense where they are. They're two floors above us, in the training room." Serena informed her.

Then she paused long enough to run her sword through another monster, and then turned back to Ann.

"Touch foreheads." She commanded.

Ann leaned forward and touched her forehead to Serena.

Thus Serena gave her the directions to the training room.

At the first possible moment when the way to the staircase was clear, Ann made a run for it.

She made it to the staircase, ran up it and disappeared from the view of the others below.

The others below continued to fight, though their energy was becoming increasingly depleted.

But now since the doors to the Gate were closed there finally seemed to be an end in sight.

Serena bumped backs with Mars.

"I wish this would stop!" Serena yelled so that Mars could hear.

Mars turned her head slightly.

"I do too, Serena! Be strong, it looks like it's almost over!" She cried.

Suddenly someone screamed.

Nephrite went down with a whole in his shoulder.

"Why I'm gonna'—!" Jupiter cried as she jumped the monster that had thrown the dark matter ball.

She tore it limb from limb. Literally.

After she was done, Jupiter turned half around to look at Nephrite who was staring at her in amazement.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her green eyes blazing, a strand of auburn hair hung in her face having escaped the ponytail holder.

"I'll be fine." Nephrite assured her as he stood back up, holding his good hand to his bad shoulder.

Then he took his good hand away and lightening bolted a nearby enemy.

Venus had taken her fight up to a balcony that overlooked the dancing floor.

She was sending her high heels repeatedly into the monster, kicking it for all she was worth.

Then it got the best of her and managed to knock her over the side of the railing.

"VenusLoveMeChainEncircle!" Venus cried hurriedly.

Though her words had strung together with the speed at which she talked, she got the result she had wanted.

The chain materialized in her hands and she threw it up and hooked it around the railing. She came to a stop with a jerk, and then started climbing her way back up.

The monster realized what she was doing, and threw a dark matter ball at the chain.

It hit the chain and not only broke it, but electrified it as well.

Venus cried out in pain as it burned through her gloves.

She let go and fell toward the floor of the room.

Kunzite caught her with a grunt.

He held her for a second just staring at her.

Venus stared back at him, blushing a slight rose.

Then she smiled at him, which seemed to awaken him from his trance.

He sat her back down on her feet.

"Be careful next time." Kunzite muttered, glancing away from her.

"There won't be a next time." Venus assured him, and as he looked at her again, she blew him a kiss.

Then with a smile she jumped into the air, and went high enough to land back on the balcony railing.

With a few well-aimed kicks at the surprised enemy she pushed it and another one over the side of the railing.

Luckily Kunzite had moved out of the way before they landed.

He looked at them for a moment, but as they started getting back up he threw an energy ball at them and finished them off.

Then he looked up at the balcony, and grinned.

Venus smiled and winked back at him, then jumped from the balcony over to another one to fight some more.

Across the room Jedite had been knocked down by two of the enemy.

Mars came up and finished those two off with fireballs.

"Hey, those were mine!" Jedite cried.

"Well if you weren't laying down on the job you would've gotten them!" Mars replied. "Now get up, you've got a job to finish!"

Jedite stood up.

"Miss Bossy." Jedite stated with his hands on his hips.

Then he ran by Mars who was turning red with rage at him, and he whispered to her: "I like that in a woman."

Mars's face turned from red rage, to a red blush in to two seconds flat.

Mercury had her visor down over her eyes. She had it scanning each monster for its weak points and then she attacked them in those points.

"Enemy behind you." The visor stated in its calm mechanical voice.

Mercury whipped around, her short blue hair flying.

She saw a wooden club bearing down on her.

It was only inches away from her face when something went straight through it and shattered it to pieces.

Some of those pieces bounced off Mercury's visor and she flinched by reflex.

Then she looked back at the monster, located its weak point and hit it.

Then she looked to see who had thrown whatever it had been that had shattered its weapon.

Zoisite smiled a shy smile at her and then turned to fight another monster.

Mercury saw that he had his own little visor, similar in design to hers, down over his own eyes, and she smiled a shy smile back.

She didn't know it, but he saw that smile.

Serena was in trouble.

She had lost her sword again. It had been knocked from her hand and had scattered across the floor, getting kicked around by dozens of feet until it disappeared from her view.

She backed up a couple careful slow steps.

Then the monster hit her with its monstrous paw and she slammed up against a wall.

She collapsed onto the floor, tears clogging up her eyes.

She wanted this to stop; she wanted the pain to stop, she wanted Beryl to stop.

She struggled to push herself up onto her arms as the monster readied a final blow, but two swords that clanged together to form an X just above Serena blocked the monster.

Prince Endymion and Prince Alan pushed the monster back and stood between the fallen Serena and her attacker.

The two men glanced at each other only briefly, then raised their swords and charged the monster as one.

Serena didn't wait for Endymion and Alan to finish the monster and help her up.

She stood up herself.

She tried to produce herself another sword, but it wouldn't come.

She tried two more times, but then realized that her energy had finally run too low.

The only reason she wasn't lying on the floor unconscious and dying was because the Impearium Silver Crystal gave her just enough energy to live and stay awake and alert, but that was all the energy it could spare.

It's power and attention was split, giving the Queen what she needed to fight and keeping Serena alive.

The Crystal was powerful, but to ask it for more after it had done so much already was a death sentence in itself. There was only so far even the Crystal could stretch before it destroyed itself.

Serena just leaned against the wall and tried to stay out of the way.

From her standing spot by the wall opposite the staircase, she saw the last three Sailor Scouts come running down the steps into view.

Saturn ignored the last twenty or so steps and just leaped over the railing.

As she landed she wielded her glaive with deadly precision.

Urnus followed her lead, yelling her attack phrase while she was still in the air.

"Urnus World Shaking!"

She struck the floor as she landed with her fist, and the whole floor of the room shook itself, cracking open straight down the middle of the room.

Everybody found it hard to stay standing up; most of the monsters couldn't manage it.

The good side took advantage and destroyed the ones who had fallen.

Neptune leaped the railing too, yelling her attack phrase while she was still in the air as well.

"Neptune Deep Submerge!"

A tidal wave rushed over everyone in the room, but this time the good side was ready for it.

They stayed standing as the wave rushed over them, then attacked the rest of the monsters while they were stunned.

Silence ruled over the moment as everyone took a breath and looked around.

No other monster was in sight, but Mercury and Zoisite weren't taking any chances.

They scanned the room to try and find any that used invisibility to shield itself.

They found it at the same time, but their warning came to late.

The monster was on the staircase, just behind Ann who was leaning on the railing for support.

It became visible just long enough to stab Ann in the back with one of its sword like arms.

Ann's head jerked back as a gasp of pain escaped her mouth.

Alan cried in despair as the monster withdrew its arm, and Ann slumped over the railing, and then slowly fell over it.

Alan rushed to catch her, as all the Scouts combined their powers and threw it at the monster before it could become invisible again, destroying it completely.

Alan caught Ann just in time, but fell over backward with the force of her fall.

He sat up and cradled Ann in his arms.

Tears overfilled his eyes and spilled out onto his cheeks.

"Ann! No, Ann! Come back to me Ann! Please!" He whispered to her, his voice choking with pain.

Ann didn't open her eyes, and her breathing was becoming more of a struggle.

The others gathered around them.

Alan looked up at them.

"Ann could heal herself if only she had enough pure energy, but she's spent almost all of it. There's none left for her to use. I'd try to heal her, but I don't have enough energy either. The only way to heal her is if I got her to the Life Tree in the next couple seconds, but even using Pluto's Time Gate I wouldn't get there in time!" Alan exclaimed.

Serena kneeled beside Ann opposite Alan.

"She needs pure energy to heal herself, right?" She asked.

Alan nodded.

Serena looked to her mother, then looked back at Ann.

She placed both her hands onto Ann, and closed her eyes.

Her crescent moon symbol glowed bright, and then she and Ann started glowing as well.

Since the Impearium Silver Crystal's power was no longer split, Serena had enough energy from it to spare enough for Ann to heal herself and regenerate.

It took a few minutes, but Serena did it.

Ann's eyes flew open and she gulped in a lung full of air.

Her wound was healed completely though there was still a sizable whole in her ragged clothes.

After she breathed deep breaths for a moment, her eyes closed and she relaxed into a peaceful sleep.

Alan smiled and started rocking Ann back and forth.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He whispered to Serena.

"You're welcome!" Serena said cheerfully.

Then she collapsed on the floor right beside Ann.

She too was also in a peaceful sleep; content in the knowledge that the Crystal lent her that Beryl was no longer here on the Moon. The monsters could no longer get in. Everyone was safe.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

The 25th chapter on the 25th of December!!! Merry Christmas everybody!!!

"Jupiter, take Serena to her bedroom and lay her to rest in her bed. Urnus take Ann to Alan's room and lay her to rest in his bed." Queen Serenity commanded in a tired voice.

No one argued otherwise, everyone could see they needed sleep.

After Jupiter and Urnus left with the Princess and Ann, Queen Serenity spoke to Pluto.

"Pluto, Beryl now knows where the Time Gate is located. You need to move it as soon as possible." She said.

Pluto nodded and walked up to the still closed doors of the Gate.

She placed both hands on it, closed her eyes, and started glowing green.

Then the doors disappeared in a flash of green light.

Pluto turned to look at Serenity.

"It's moved now, to a place it's never been before. Beryl won't be able to find it for a long time at least." She explained.

"Good work." Serenity congratulated her. "Now everybody, we need to get this place cleaned up in time for the wedding tomorrow."

Alan and Endymion looked at her sharply then glanced away again dejectedly.

They had totally forgotten about the wedding.

No one saw Alan look up the staircase.

No one saw the look of thoughtful hope cross his face.

Five hours later Ann awoke to find Prince Alan leaning over her with a concerned expression.

"ALAN!" Ann cried joyfully as she threw both her arms around his neck and hugged him with all her might.

Alan almost fell on top of her, but pull her up to a sitting position and hugged her full force as well.

Their hug lasted for quite a few minutes.

After they broke their hug, Ann placed both her hands on Alan's chest.

"Are you okay? Is everybody okay? I thought I was going to die! What's going on? I'm starving!" She rambled.

Alan laughed loudly.

"It's great to hear your voice again! And you sound like your old self which is a good sign!" Alan spoke finally with a smile on his face. "I'm okay, everybody else is okay as well, yes you were going to die, but Serena saved you, and Serena's sleeping right now while the others are finishing up cleaning and rebuilding the ballroom."

Alan then turned to the nightstand and picked up a tray and placed it on Ann's lap.

"Dig in!" Alan encouraged her with a smile.

Ann didn't hesitate.

"How was Princess Serena able to save me?" Ann asked in between bites.

"Queen Serenity tired to explain it. She said that she, Queen Serenity, couldn't have saved you because she didn't have true pure energy anymore. She's lived for years and her power, energy, and spirit isn't as pure as it used to be. But Serena is still basically a child at heart. She was still pure enough in heart to help save you." Alan explained.

"And for that I thank her." Ann replied.

"As do I." Alan agreed.

It was silent for a moment as Ann ate some more while Alan just watched her.

"How did you get captured by Beryl?" Alan asked abruptly.

Ann's eyes went dark as she remembered the betrayal.

Ann looked into Alan's eyes.

"Your father gave me to her." She explained.

Alan's eyes went dark with fury.

"I knew he wasn't a good King, I knew he wanted to still control the throne when he supposedly retired, but I never even thought that he'd go that far!" Alan exclaimed.

"You know he disapproved of me, because he knew he couldn't control me with threats and bribes. That's why he picked out the Moon Princess, he thought she might be more easily imposed upon, but he didn't want to take the chance that I'd help her around the place when she moved to the home planet. He didn't want me to warn her, so he decided to get rid of me short of killing me directly. He gave me to Beryl. He didn't realize that with me in her hands, Beryl could kill you before you were married. He wanted you dead after you were married, when the Showma planet had a weak Queen." Ann explained.

"It's terrible when your own father wants you dead." Alan stated, rubbing his forehead. "Well, I know one thing, Serena is not the kind to be imposed upon. She has strong morals of what's right and wrong. And if she was tricked into doing something wrong, once she realizes it was wrong, she'd try to right it."

"She'll make a great wife." Ann whispered as she took a sip of her drink.

"Yes. She will make a great wife to someone someday, but hopefully not to me." Alan answered.

"What do you mean?" Ann asked as she sat her drink down on the tray.

"I put a plan into motion before I left our planet. I won't find out if it'll work until after father gets here. If it doesn't I'm going to have to marry Serena, but hopefully it'll work and then I'll be married to you instead." Alan explained taking Ann's hands into his own.

"Won't that make Serena or her mother upset?" Ann asked.

"No. They don't want this wedding to take place anymore than we do." Alan explained. "In fact, Serena seems to fancy the Earth Prince, Endymion. I know that Endymion fancy's Serena because I see him always looking at Serena with a wistful stare, or glaring at me with death rays in his eyes. So everyone will be happy if my plan works, but first, I have to talk to Serena. I'll need her help if my plan is to work."

"Rei, I need to speak with you." Queen Serenity said softly as Rei was walking past her to the dinning room.

"Yes, my lady?" Rei asked as she stepped to the side of the hall to stand beside Serenity.

"I have been looking through some of Serena's earlier memories, and I have to ask you, why didn't you report it when you found out Serena was having those nightmares about those red eyes? I'm sure you recognized who those eyes must have belonged to."

Rei started as she remember Serena as a seven year old, crying in bed over a nightmare of white mist, an unknown woman, burning red eyes, and then darkness.

"I thought they were just nightmares, so I thought I could get rid of them myself. I did too, I think. She never woke up crying in the middle of the night again." Rei explained.

"Yes, but they weren't just nightmares." Serenity informed her. "By that time she had already made a connection to the Crystal using her "I call upon my forbidden birthright" chant. The Crystal was trying to tell us something, using her memories and dreams. She remembered me taking away her birthright. I was the unknown woman that she couldn't see the features of. Those eyes she saw burning over my shoulder? That was real. Beryl was there when I gave Serena to Ikoku and Kenji, though no one but Serena knew it at the time."

"How did Serena know it?" Rei asked.

"Children can see things adults can't. Especially a child so pure of heart as Serena was and still is. She saw straight through the illusion Beryl used. Beryl knew all along where Serena was, but she couldn't watch her all the time, and so didn't know whether Serena or Mina was really the Moon Princess because they looked so alike as they grew. Me disappearing, the darkness pushing away the comforting white mist, and only the burning red eyes remaining? The Crystal has made it clear to me what it wanted to convey to us with that. It wanted to tell us that I would soon become powerless to protect Serena. That evil would surround her. You should have reported those dreams to us, Rei." Queen Serenity lightly scolded.

It was a light scolding, but Rei took it like a slap to the face.

This whole thing could have been prepared for, if only Rei had reported those dreams like she had first thought she should've.

"I'm sorry, my lady." Rei spoke softly, unable to stop the tears swelling up in her eyes.

"I know that you're about to say that you failed me, but don't say it." Serenity told her. "You didn't fail me, because Serena is not dead. She is not in the control of evil, she is not in the presence of evil anymore, and she is safe in bed at home at last. You made a mistake, but it was not a deadly one, and you were only a child. I'm not wanting to hurt you, I'm just pointing out to you that even the smallest things that don't seem all that important, can be the most important things ever. Understand?"

"Yes, my lady. I understand, and I promise to be more alert about the small details in the future." Rei answered.

"Good, that's all I want." Serenity told her with a smile. "Now, let's eat."

Alan quietly snuck into the Princess Serena's bedchamber without arousing anyone.

He found her sleeping peacefully in her four-poster bed.

"Princess Serena? Please wake up! I need to speak with you!" Prince Alan spoke softly as he gently shook Serena's shoulders.

Serena opened an eyelid and looked at him unseeingly for a moment.

Then she closed her eye, and then opened both eyes again.

Then she sat up covering a yawn with her hand.

"What is it?" Serena asked after the yawn was over.

"Am I right in thinking that you'd much rather not have this wedding go on?" Alan asked.

Serena looked at him with clear eyes.

"I don't want this wedding to happen with all my heart, for though you are a kind and courageous man, you were not meant to be my husband. But I cannot ignore

the fact that my Kingdom and the Earth Kingdom needs an alliance with your Kingdom, and so for that reason alone I will go through with it." Serena replied. "Why?"

"I have a plan that if it works, the wedding will be off, but an alliance you still shall have." Alan said with a grin.

Turns out that his grin was contagious.

"Tell me more about this plan." Serena encouraged him.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

It was the day of the wedding.

The ballroom had been fully repaired yesterday evening, leaving just enough time to decorate it in a rush of activity.

White flowers of many kinds were hung all over the railings of the upper balconies that overlooked the dance floor. Their stems were entwined with silver, light blue, and white ribbons that hung down past the balconies in curtains.

Seats were placed in rows of five on each side of the red carpet that was unrolled to form the isle that Serena would walk down.

It was planned that Serena would walk down the staircase from the second floor, walk across the carpet, and would come to stand at the alter beside Alan.

Queen Serenity would perform the ceremony and join the couple together.

Serena was in her room with the inner Scouts, making sure the last minute adjustments to her wedding gown was done.

She wore a big fluffy long underskirt of white cotton lace, the finest lace on the Moon and Earth. Over the lace skirt was a long skirt of silk that shone white or silver depending upon Serena's movement.

Pearls and diamonds were strung all around her skirt in elaborate swags. A big deep silver sash tied around her V shaped waist to form a big bow at the back, it's tales streaming gracefully down her skirt to the floor.

She wore dangly earrings of three diamonds each, a necklace of pearls, and her crescent moon symbol showed dimly on her forehead.

A big veil was being set into place on her head between her Odangos by Mina and Lita. Rei and Ami were curling her hair that streamed down from her Odangos.

They kept glancing worried looks at each other the entire time they were touching her up. Serena was not unaware of their tension, or glances.

Rei handed Serena her bouquet of white roses just as Queen Serenity walked into the room.

"They're ready." Serenity stated quietly.

Mina, Rei, Lita, and Ami all looked anxiously at Serena before leaving the room to take up their stations as bridesmaids.

"You look beautiful dear." Serenity commended her daughter, though she had a note of sadness in her voice.

Serenity didn't know of the plans that Serena, Alan, Ann, Rei, Ami, Lita, and Mina had set into motion that morning. Serena had kept a tight reign on the Crystal so that it wouldn't let the information slip to her.

"Thank you mother!" Serena said graciously.

"You don't seem so, upset about the wedding as you were a couple days ago." Serenity said with a questioning tone.

"Well, for one thing, I've gotten to actually know Alan. For another thing, I know in my heart everything will be all right in the end." Serena answered as she hitched up her skirt slightly and walked out of the room with Serenity behind her.

"I'm glad to hear that." Serenity stated as they met up with the Serena's bridesmaids at the top of the staircase, still out of sight from the people below.

Her bridesmaids also included Amora, Michelle, Hotaru, and Setsuna.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Serena muttered as she handed her bouquet to Mina for a moment.

Then she placed both her hands across her heart, and then slowly opened her arms wide.

The Impearium Silver Crystal itself blossomed on her chest in the form of a crystal flower broach. It sparkled all the colors of the planets and more.

Her mother smiled approvingly as Mina handed her bouquet back.

'_If you're planning on not getting married today, why all the fancy touches?' _Rei asked through their mind link, quietly so as not to let Serenity hear her.

'_It was planned that Alan's father would be here an hour ago, but it seems he's running late. Just because I'm planning on not having to go through with the wedding, doesn't mean that I won't be going through with it. We made plans just in case we did have to say 'I do', you know that, but for all I know I could die this afternoon, married or not, and I would terrible regret not taking the opportunity to shine my best for Endymion.' _Serena answered.

'_Oh, okay.' _Rei muttered understandingly.

The music started playing as Serenity took her daughter's hand.

They waited together on that landing, as two little flower girls walked down the stairs sprinkling red rose petals onto the carpet from their baskets.

Then the bridesmaids followed.

Then Serenity leads Serena by the hand down the staircase.

Serena felt a slight tug on the long part of her veil and looked back.

Luna and Artemis the cats had each taken the end of the veil that were dragging behind Serena on the floor and were walking proudly behind her, the pure white ribbons around their necks sparkling.

"Oh, mother!" Serena cried as she realized that her short front veil wasn't over her face yet.

Serenity and Serena paused long enough for Serenity to pull the short front part of the veil down over Serena's face and then they continued down the staircase.

It was a very slow walk up to the alter.

Serena didn't mind, nor did any of the other conspirators. The longer it took to walk her up there, the better. It meant that Alan's father had more time to get here, hopefully with whatever it was that he would bring with him that would give Alan the go ahead he needed.

Alan hadn't told any of them, not even Ann what it was he was waiting for. He just said that one of his fathers honor guards would bring what he needed.

As Serena walked to the alter she saw that all the Scouts were seated on the right side, front row. All be Rei, who was Serena's maid of honor, who stood up by the alter a little behind where Serena would stand.

Sammy was all dressed up and standing a little behind Alan. He bore the cushion that bore the rings. Sammy looked partially happy and excited at being able to attend such a grand ceremony, and sad because Serena didn't want to marry Alan.

'_Don't worry, Sammy. Everything's going to be all right, and I have a special gift to give you after all this is over.' _Serena said to herself.

Serena looked to the left side of the isle.

In the front row seats sat Nephrite, Kunzite, Jedite, Zoisite, Endymion and Andrew. Andrew had a red haired woman with him, and from the way he was holding her, she must have been his wife.

The other Generals kept glancing over at the inner Scouts, and vice versa.

Endymion didn't look up for a while, but eventually he couldn't resist.

He glanced up at Serena, and couldn't look away.

Serena stood up proudly, determined to shine just for him, and shine she did.

In Endymion's eyes she radiated light, and looked like an angel. She took his breath away, and he was so captured in the moment that the sorrow he had previously felt at not being the one that Serena was walking to, didn't have room to live.

The walk to the alter came to an end all too soon.

Queen Serenity let go of Serena's hand and went to stand just a little in front of them.

She proceeded to say the words that would join Alan and Serena together.

Alan talked really slowly when it came time for him to repeat his vows.

Serena knew he was stalling, she knew he was nervous for she could feel the sweat of his hand that held hers soak through their gloves.

She squeezed his hand gently, and he relaxed some.

Then the doors to the entrance flew open.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" The Old King of the planet Showma proclaimed as he quickly hurried to seat that the inner scouts had left empty for him in the front row on the right side of the isle.

He had two honor guards who stood one on either side of the alter.

"You're just in time to hear their vows, you're Highness." Serenity told him softly.

"Good, good! Carry on then, never mind me." He puffed as he settled his fairly round self into the chair.

Alan was staring at the honor guard standing on Serena's side of the alter.

That guard nodded to his own hand, which was hanging by his side, but closed around a rolled up scroll of parchment.

With a puff it was gone from his hand.

Alan opened his own right hand, and the parchment appeared it in.

He and Serena turned around to face Serenity, touching shoulders so that the Old King couldn't see Alan reading the parchment.

Before he unrolled the parchment he muttered to the Queen.

"Just keep on saying the words, my lady."

Queen Serenity looked at him briefly, and then proceeded to have Serena repeat her vows.

Alan read the parchment and a satisfied smile settled on his lips.

He glanced at Serena and Serena nodded encouragingly to him.

They both turned around to face the crowd and Serenity stopped talking.

Everyone became alert.

"I have just received news that I have been officially proclaimed on my home planet by my father as the new King of the Showma planet and Galaxy. My first proclamation as King is this: the wedding is off." Alan stated.

Everyone was startled by this news.

The Generals and Endymion glanced over at the inner Scouts to find them smiling triumphantly at each other.

The Scouts caught them looking, and gave them a look that read as a defiant what?

The men raised eyebrows in union.

"Yes, I have officially announced that I am retiring and you are to be King, but that only goes into effect after you've married the Moon Princess." The Old King informed him with surprise.

"I have here a piece of parchment. On it is written every word that you said to the people in your proclamation. Yes, it does say I'm not to be King until I'm married, but it does not say I have to marry the Moon Princess." Alan informed him.

He raised his left hand, pulled off his glove and showed them the shinning gold ring.

"Married I am, but not to the Moon Princess." Alan announced.

He then looked down the isle as a woman clothed in a light pink dress, with a hat that hid most of her face walked down the red carpet.

Alan took her hand as he helped her up the steps to the alter.

She kept her face hidden by the rim of the hat as Alan continued.

"This is my wife. We were married only this morning, with five witnesses to our union. The witnesses are Princess Serena, Princess Mars, Princess Mercury, Princess Jupiter, and Princess Venus. Princess Serena performed the ceremony herself, and our union is officially binding by the blood we used to sign the marriage certificate. We were joined just after you left the Showma planet, so you had already made the proclamation to the people." Alan stated firmly, confidently.

"And who is this woman you claim as your wife?" The Old King cried in outrage as he leaped from his seat.

The Moon Guards tensed and kept a watchful eye on him.

"You don't recognize her father?" Alan asked in mock surprise. "I should think that one would mark such a, memorable, event such as when you gave away my true love to Queen Beryl herself."

Ann removed her hat and glared at the Old King.

The Old King looked at her with surprise showing in his every feature.

Then his face quickly changed to rage, and then to fear as he realized that he could no longer hope to control the throne.

"I'm sure you didn't realize that with Ann in her hands, Beryl would try to kill me before I married. I know for a fact that you wanted me to live. Long enough to be officially married and return with my new bride to Showma, but after that I know you wouldn't give a planet's ring about me, or my bride." Alan continued.

The Old King made an attempt to save his own skin by calling upon his blood ties to Alan, but it was far too late for that.

"You never were much of a King, and you were never really a father." Alan told him. "I'm not going to think twice about having you thrown into the dungeons to await your execution. I can assure you that I'll never lose sleep over it. But wait. We're not on Showma, and these aren't my dungeons. Princess?" Alan turned to Serenity who threw back her veil and smiled at him. "Would you do the honors?" Alan asked.

"Of course." Serenity looked at the Old King, stood up straight, and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Moon Guards, arrest this man and throw him in the dungeon to await extradition to his home planet for trial and punishment. The charges are as follows: treason, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and defacing private property. For it was he who gave Beryl the means to get here and destroy the ballroom of the Silver Millennium Moon Palace."

The Guards started walking toward the Old King as Serena stated the charges, but the King made as if to ready an energy ball.

Lita stood up behind him, pinched a certain place on his neck before he could turn around, held it for three seconds, and then let go as he slumped to the ground unconscious.

As the Guards dragged the Old King out of the ballroom, Lita sat gracefully back down in her seat, smoothed out her emerald green dress, and glanced once in Nephrite's direction.

Nephrite was staring at her with wide eyes.

"I'm in love." Nephrite stated in confirmation as he continued to stare.

Jedite leaned over and whispered to him.

"If you ever do marry her, don't ever get into a fight with her. Or you'll end up just like him."

"Or worse." Kunzite added.

"Or worse." Jedite agreed.

"I know she has the ability to kill me, but I'm still in love." Nephrite stated firmly as he leaned back in his seat, a silly grin on his face.

Serena than addressed the room of people.

"I'm sorry everyone. I know you came here to see a wedding, but this wedding is not going to take place." She started. "But you may still see a wedding."

Serena turned to Alan and Ann.

"This morning when you were secretly married, I promised that when this was all over I'd give you the big wedding you two so richly deserve. Would now be a good time for that? We don't want to waste the cake now do we?" Serena asked.

Alan and Ann glanced at each other and then with smiles agreed that now would be the best time to renew their vows.

Serena touched the Impearium Silver Crystal on her chest and it enveloped her in pure white light.

She twirled around once, and the big part of her silo wet that was her wedding gown vanished.

Ann was enveloped in the same white light.

When the lights vanished, Serena was back in her own Princess outfit while Ann wore her wedding gown.

Serena handed her bouquet over to Ann, urged her mother to continue, and stepped down from the alter to the now unoccupied seat that the Old King had just vacated.

She sat down gracefully as her mother glanced down at her.

"You sneaky little blue moon monkey." Queen Serenity said playfully.

Serena turned to the inner Scouts.

"Did you hear that? We're sneaky little blue moon monkeys!" Serena said jokingly to them.

It surprised them all when Ami made a monkey noise before blushing a deep red.

Then everybody around the room had to smother giggles.

It was quiet a few minutes before Queen Serenity could start the ceremony again.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

It was in the after wedding celebration, while the chairs were being moved out of the ballroom to get it ready for dancing, that Ami went up to Sammy.

"Sammy, Serena would like a word with you please." She said to him.

He nodded and Ami pointed him toward Serena's direction.

As he came into view of her, he saw that she was talking with a man and woman.

The man had short brown hair, and the woman had long blue hair, and they wore crowns.

He waited for a moment when it seemed the conversation lagged, and then he politely interrupted.

"You wanted to speak to me, my lady?" Sammy asked.

"There you are!" Serena cried as she drew him up in a big hug. "I haven't been able to speak with you since the battle on Earth, which I want to thank you for your help in by the way!"

"You're welcome!" Sammy said cheerfully as he started turning red from shortage of air.

Serena let go just in time.

"Is this the young man you were just telling us about?" Ikoku asked with a smile.

"Yes, this is Sammy! Sammy these are my foster parents slash godparents. King Kenji and Queen Ikoku!" Serena introduced them.

Sammy bowed.

"Nice to meet you, you're Highnesses." Sammy said formally.

"Nice to meet you too as well." Kenji responded. "And thank you from us for helping our dear Serena."

Serena then took Sammy by the hand.

"Please excuse us for a moment." Serena said as she gently tugged Sammy over to the side of the room.

"Listen, I want to ask you something." Serena started to say.

Sammy listened very carefully.

"Have you as yet gotten a reward for your courage and bravery?" Serena asked.

Sammy blushed.

"Uh, no, not that I know of." Sammy stuttered.

"Good. That means I can still give you one. What is the one thing you want most in the whole universe?" Serena asked him.

"Seriously?" Sammy asked.

"Seriously." Serena confirmed.

Sammy was silent for a moment, mulling it over, and then answered.

"A family. My parents died when I was around three, and Mistress Taknisha kind of looked over me, but I never really had a family since then. I really want a family."

"I thought that was it." Serena stated. "And I can give you a family, if you will have it. For the last fourteen years, I've been treated as the child of Kenji and Ikoku, the governing royals of England, but now I have a new home where I must stay. That leaves Kenji and Ikoku with no child of their own. They would like to adopt you."

Sammy stared at Serena in surprise.

"I've told them as much about you as I know, and they've agreed to adopt you if you will have them. You'll always have a roof over your head, food on your plate, clothes on your back, but most importantly, you'll always have love all around you. And when you grow up, you'll still have a place to belong. As Prince you will take their place in governing England, which I know you'll be good at! And you can come see me sometimes, and I can come see you sometimes, because we'll be putting in a transport portal in at their Palace. But this is only if you want to. Becoming a Prince will be a big change for you, with a lot of responsibility. No one is going to push you into it." Serena paused to let him think it over.

"It'll be a big change yes, and a big responsibility yes, but I won't be alone in bearing it will I?" Sammy asked.

"Of course you won't. You'll always have someone there for you." Serena answered.

Sammy looked at Serena for a moment, and then glanced over at Kenji and Ikoku who were standing together. Ikoku looked worried, and Kenji was trying to comfort her.

"She looks worried." Sammy stated to Serena.

"She's worried that you won't want to be their son." Serena answered. "I assure you, if you chose to become part of their family, they will welcome you with open arms and open hearts."

"I want to. I desperately want to be their son." Sammy answered.

Serena smiled widely.

"Then be the child you are, and run to them!" Serena told him.

Sammy glanced at her unsurely.

"Open arms and open hearts." Serena muttered.

Sammy looked back at the royals, and then broke into a run toward them.

Ikoku and Kenji saw him coming, they quickly looked over his head at Serena who smiled in a confirmation that everything was all right, and then Kenji and Ikoku grabbed Sammy up in a hug as he reached them. Smiles were wide on their faces, and tears of joy ran from their eyes like water from water fountains.

Serena stood their watching them with a huge smile on her face.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look over at Queen Serenity who stood beside her.

"That was the best thing you could do for him!" Serenity commended her. "It was the most loving thing one person could do for another."

"Yes, it was the least I could do for him. I love him like a brother, and I'm proud to be able to take care of him even in such a small way." Serena answered.

"That wasn't a small way, to him that was the biggest gift he could ever receive. If we could give him the whole universe, it still wouldn't compare with what you gave to him today." Serenity stated.

"There's nothing in the whole universe like a family who loves you." Serena agreed as she hugged her mother.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

She watched them.

She watched them as they glanced at each other when the other one wasn't looking.

She watched them pretend that they hadn't looked.

Oh, yes, she watched them as she sat there forming a plan.

Or five plans actually.

And he watched her.

Kunzite watched Mina as she intently watched the other inner Scouts. Even from across the room, Kunzite could see that mischievous glint in her eyes, that smile that tugged on her full luscious lips.

He watched her as she put Plan A of her five part plan to work.

Mina slid into a seat right next to Ami.

Ami quickly glanced over at her.

"Oh, hi Mina." She whispered.

"Why don't you go over there and talk to him?" Mina asked nodding toward Zoisite who sat a few seats down from them. "I mean, you two have been exchanging glances since the wedding ceremony, it's plain as day you two like each other."

Ami blushed.

"But what would I say to him?" Ami asked nervously.

"You two both have little computers, ask him about his. Compare the things to each other. See if they are the same or not. Talk to him like you normally talk, mathematically. I'm sure he'd understand you. I tried striking up a conversation with him a couple days ago, but I couldn't understand half of what he talked about. Which made me realize he was perfect for you!" Mina announced.

Ami blushed some more, but then took a deep breath.

She stood up and quickly walked over to Zoisite's table.

Mina couldn't hear what was said, but she was satisfied when she saw Ami sit down next to Zoisite, pulling out her mini computer, and then getting into a very animated discussion over something electronic.

Mina smiled and Kunzite saw her mouth the words, Plan A complete. Initiating Plan B.

Mina looked around for her next targets.

Kunzite had a pretty good idea what Mina was doing. She was the Sailor Scout, or Goddess in his view, of Love. She was setting up couples, which gave Kunzite an idea of his own.

Mina quietly sidled on up to Lita's side.

"Have you talked to Nephrite yet?" Mina asked her.

Lita, unlike Ami, wasn't one to blush so easily. In fact, she dove right into the subject.

"Not yet, I'm trying to figure out what to say to him to start a conversation." Lita muttered to her, eyeing Nephrite out of the corner of her eyes.

"Do you remember back in the battle on Earth, he was doing some pretty impressive fighting moves? Ask him about those. Where he learned them, can he teach you them? Use the excuse that learning them would help you protect the Princess better, which is true in itself." Mina suggested.

"Hmmm." Lita muttered as she started thinking up questions for Nephrite.

She smiled and started walking over to him.

Mina watched as they struck up a conversation about kicks and jabs and other killer movements.

Then she looked around for the next target.

She came up beside Rei, but before she could say anything Rei spoke first.

"I know what you're doing! You're setting up us inner Scouts with the Prince's Generals. Well, I thank you for the fine effort you've done with Ami and Lita, but I don't need any help with meeting Jedite. I've got it planned perfectly." Rei announced.

"Than what are you still doing standing here?" Mina asked.

"Waiting for the opportune moment." Rei said quietly.

Then just as Jedite was walking past them Rei contacted Mina via mind link with a command.

'_Push me!'_

Mina didn't hesitate; she pushed.

Only after she had pushed did she realize what Rei had in mind.

Mina had pushed Rei right into Jedite. Both of them fell to the ground, with Rei on top of Jedite.

Rei acted all blustered, but Mina could tell that she was enjoying herself, as was Jedite.

Mina slipped away into the crowd, looking for Serena next.

Kunzite took that moment to sidle up to her.

"So, how you planning on getting Endymion and Serena together?" He asked her quietly.

She didn't seem surprised to see him.

"A lot more romantically than I got the others together." Mina replied. "But I'm going to need your help with Plan D."

"Mina what is it?" Serena asked as the hand of Mina pulled her gently along, up the staircase to Serena's bedroom.

"You'll see!" Mina giggled.

Mina led her out onto Serena's balcony.

"Look down there!" Mina told Serena, pointing to the ground below the balcony.

Serena looked for a moment, and then saw Endymion lagging behind Kunzite as Kunzite headed for under the balcony.

"Oh, I see what you're doing. You're trying to set us up!" Serena accused her.

"Guilty!" Mina said cheerfully.

"Well, how am I supposed to get his attention?" Serena asked leaning against the balcony railing. "Should I just jump over the rail-ING?"

Serena cried the last three syllables of that last word as the part of the railing she had been leaning against disappeared.

As she fell over the balcony she realized just who (or what) had made that railing disappear.

_'Traitor!' _Serena thought jokingly, and she could swear that she heard the Impearium Silver Crystal giggle softly.

Then she found herself in Endymion's arms as he struggled to stay standing up.

After Endymion regained his balance, he and Serena stared into each other's eyes for a long moment.

The only reason their trance broke was because they heard Mina giggle softly.

"This was a setup." Endymion stated.

"You just now noticed?" Serena asked jokingly.

"They're probably hiding behind those bushes." Endymion stated again.

"Probably." Serena replied.

"I probably should put you down now." Endymion mused.

"Probably, but I'm not complaining." Serena assured him.

More giggles from the bushes; not all of them Mina's.

"Mina's ploy was that she had a surprise for me. You definitely were a surprise." Serena stated.

"Kunzite's ploy was that you needed me." Endymion stated in turn.

"In a way I do." Serena said seriously.

'_Kiss her already!' _

It was a stray though of Mina's that Serena picked up.

Since it looked like they'd be content just to stare at each other forever, Serena took the initiative herself.

She kissed him.

Boy was it a LOOOOOOOOONG kiss.

When they started the kiss, Mina let the leaves of the bush she and Kunzite were hiding behind fall back into place, and cover them from view.

"Plan D complete!" Mina chirped as she and Kunzite started walking deeper into the garden. "Mother always said a first kiss seals the fate of the couple, and that that first kiss means they're meant to be together! I've always found that to be true."

"Really? Then let this kiss, seal our fate!" Kunzite exclaimed as he picked Mina up from behind and held her in his arms just like Endymion still held Serena, and kissed her passionately.

Mina didn't resist a bit.

All of her plans had been leading up to this very moment! So she had set up the others, so she had set up herself in the process.

When they broke the kiss, Mina smiled and said:

"Plan E accomplished. Mission complete."

They laughed together as Kunzite carried Mina on down the garden path.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter twenty-nine

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Two Years Later

"Serena!!! Serena!!! Happy sixteenth birthday!!!" Ami, Mina, Rei, and Lita cried as they raced into Serena's bedroom, waking her up as they bounced up and down on her bed.

They all laughed until the bed quit moving.

"You're to stay up here for most of the day!!! They're getting your party ready for you downstairs!" Mina cried.

"And you wouldn't want to ruin it now would you?" Rei asked with mocking firmness.

Serena laughed some more.

"No I wouldn't!" She answered.

"So, when's Endymion arriving?" Lita asked.

All four girls leaned forward intently waiting for Serena to reply.

"You mean when is Endymion's generals arriving." Serena corrected them with a smile.

"Are we that transparent?" Ami asked blushing.

"Oh yes you are!" Serena replied. "Our connection has deepened these last two years, so I know exactly how you feel when you're with your lovers, and I know exactly how you feel when you're just thinking about them. You all feel the same way I do when I'm with or thinking about Endymion so it is kind of hard to block out such strong emotions."

"So when are they coming?" Lita asked.

"Well, the generals should be arriving an hour or so before the party." Serena answered. "Endymion, may not be able to make it to the party."

"What? Why not?" The girls cried in union.

"He came to me last night, and talked to me while standing under my balcony." Serena explained. "He said that there's been information gathered that Queen Beryl's on the move again, gathering armies and the like. He said that he might not make it to the party because he has to meet with his informant and parents and try to make plans for a counterattack before Beryl gets too strong. But he promised that he'd make it here tomorrow for our wedding."

Serena paused a moment as she remember his exact words.

'_Nothing, not even Beryl herself can stop me from making you my wife.' _

"Well, he better be or he'll have us to make him sorry!" Rei vowed, but it was an empty vow.

They all knew that Endymion would come; he always kept his promises.

An Hour And A Half Before The Party

On Earth, In The Study Of The Palace Of The Prince Of The Earth

"So Endymion was able to make the meeting shorter than it was thought able to be huh?" Nephrite asked as he practiced a couple kicking movements in the air.

"Yup!" Jedite answered. "He's on his way up to the Princess's Birthday Party. We should be going too, or we'll be late!"

"What are you doing Jed?" Kunzite asked.

"I'm making roses out of fire!" Jedite explained. "It's the challenge Rei and I had for each other this week. To make flowers out of fire. Only I'm going one step further. I'm going to make her an everlasting fire rose! What are you giving Mina this time?"

Kunzite never went up to see Mina without bringing her a gift or three.

Kunzite smiled as he brought out an ornate wooden box that had the symbol of Mina's home planet carved into the lid.

He opened it and showed the contents to all the other three generals in the room.

"A delicately carved mirror, a delicately carved comb, a delicately carved brush made with the finest softest bristles in the world, and a delicate porcelain pink flower hair clip. Nothing's too good for the Goddess of Love herself!" Kunzite declared.

Jedite, Zoisite, and Nephrite all smiled.

"I'm bringing Ami this book that I told her about last week. It's so rare that she doesn't even have a copy of it on her computer!" Zoisite exclaimed.

"Something Ami doesn't know, now that's cool!" Jedite stated. "Hey, Neph, what are you giving to Lita?"

"Oh, that!" Nephrite stopped kicking the air and leaned down behind a table. When he came back up he held a baby tree in a pot of dirt. "Lita loves plants of all kinds, so I'm giving her a weeping willow plant to take care of! I know of the perfect place it can go in her garden! She'll love it!"

"I'm sure they'll love everything!" Zoisite assured them. "Hey, Jed, can you steady the flame on this candle? It keeps flickering and it's stopping me from getting this book wrapped."

"Sure, Zoi. There must be a leak of air in here somewhere." Jedite answered as he flicked his hand at the candle flame.

It steadied itself for a moment, and Zoisite was able finish wrapping the book.

He held it up triumphantly in the air to show the others that the wrapping paper looked like moving tides on a beach, but then the candle flame went out.

Jedite flicked his hand, and the flame ignited again, but went out just as abruptly.

"Jed, a shadow passed over that flame as it went out." Zoisite announced. "We're not alone in here."

All four generals sat their things down, and stared around intently.

Nothing moved.

Jedite brought the candle flame back into existence, and they waited.

But this time the shadow did not go for the candle flame.

Four shadows descended upon the four generals all at once, and the candle was knocked from the table.

Its warm flame went out in a wisp of smoke as it hit the cold stones of the floor.

Somewhere In Time And Space At The Time Gate

"Pluto, we're going to be late, hurry up!!!" Saturn cried as she jumped up and down with barely contained excitement.

"I'm trying to, if you'd just hold still for one minute! There!" Pluto exclaimed triumphantly as she managed to place the last clip in Saturn's shiny black hair.

"Can we go now? Can we?" Saturn asked anxiously.

"Yes!" Pluto said with a smile.

She was about to pick up her staff, when she felt a strange troubling sensation race down her spine.

"Saturn." Pluto muttered.

"I feel it." Saturn replied.

She no longer looked like a child ready for a party. She looked like a grown woman about to fight.

They looked around the Gate room, for anything suspicious. Though they found nothing, that feeling would just no go away.

"Saturn, I'll open the Gate to the moon for you. Go and warn Queen Serenity!" Pluto commanded.

"Right." Saturn agreed.

Pluto tapped her staff and the constantly moving symbols on the door finally stood still on the Moon Kingdom's coordinates.

That's when they struck.

"Plu—" Saturn cried as she swung her glaive at a dark shadow that attacked her.

She cut the monster in half, but the shadow being rejoined its pieces to itself and attacked again.

It flicked her long skirt over Saturn's head and in those precious moments when she couldn't see, it struck her down.

"SATURN!!!" Pluto cried as she attacked the monster with her staff.

She beat it back enough to be able to get to Saturn's side, but she knew that Saturn was already dead.

Pluto took Saturn's glaive from her still warm hand, and attacked the dozens of shadow beings that advanced upon her with it and her staff.

After a moment of futile fighting, she realized that the Gate was still open on the Moon. An invasion force could be sent to the unsuspecting Moon Kingdom.

Before Pluto could close the Gate, her staff was cut in two.

The Ornate Granite ball that controlled the Gate shattered into millions of tiny shards that disappeared in tiny flashes of light.

This sight that she had never thought she'd ever see distracted Pluto, and the enemy took advantage of it.

Queen Beryl struck her down herself.

As she fell to the floor beside Saturn's body, Beryl commanded her troops.

"Get ready. When I give the signal we move in." Beryl said. "Leave no survivors, but leave the Princess for me."

Time Of The Party

Moon Palace's Ballroom

Princess Serena greeted all of her guest with a warm smile and a gentle hug.

Everyone she knew was here.

Queen Ikoku and King Kenji going slightly gray, but still as strong as ever.

Their son Prince Sam, though everyone who knew him called him Sammy. At fourteen he looked very handsome and even more grown up than he had looked at twelve.

Andrew seemed to have gotten a promotion during the last two years, as he was now Commander Andrew. He arrived with his wife Rita, who was pregnant with their third child.

Even King Alan and his Queen Ann made it, though slightly late.

The party was going great, but the generals had still not arrived, and the girls were getting worried.

Princess Serena had danced a couple times already, when a man walked up to her and asked her for a dance.

He wore a black tuxedo with a white undershirt, a pair of white gloves, a sleek black top hat, and a long black cape. A thin white mask hid his eyes from her, but she felt that she knew him.

She accepted his hand and he whisked her onto the dance floor.

After a couple of twirls around the floor, she knew who he was.

"So, you could make it after all?" Serena asked quietly with a smile.

"I managed to slip away." Endymion replied with a smile of his own as he dipped her, and then twirled her around.

"So that's the reason for the mask." Serena stated.

"You could say that." Endymion chuckled.

As they danced Serena caught glimpses of the generals sliding up to their girls and then them all disappearing into the crowd in different directions.

To give them a little privacy, Serena blocked herself from them.

That turned out to be a deadly mistake.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"Zoi, I love it!!!" Ami exclaimed as she held up the still wrapped book that Zoisite had just given her.

"You haven't even unwrapped it yet!" Zoi laughed.

"Well, I calculate that it's a book, therefore I know I'll love it!" Ami explained as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

"I knew you would!" Zoi cheered as Ami finally started to unwrap the book.

They were by the Crystal Lake that encircled the whole Moon Kingdom.

The water was peaceful and calm as Zoisite lay there with Ami lying in front of him.

As Ami started reading the book, pointing out which parts she liked, which calculations were wrong or right, Zoisite reached inside his cape and quietly withdrew something.

That something glinted dangerously in the light of the Earth that reflected off the Lake, but Ami was so entranced in her book, she never noticed it.

Not until Zoisite had plunged the dagger straight into her back.

The book slipped from her hands and fell into the water with a soft splash.

"Zoi—" Was all Ami could say before she slumped forward, dead.

She lay there half in the water, half out, with one arm gently floating upon the water's glimmering surface.

Her blood streamed into the water, making thin veins of red in the blue and white.

Zoisite looked up at the Earth that hung in the sky half in darkness, and his eyes glistened black.

"I love it!!! It's so pretty and delicate looking!!!" Lita exclaimed as she fondled the wispy branches of the baby Weeping Willow.

"How about we plant it now?" Nephrite asked. "Over there in that corner of your garden?"

"That's the perfect place for it!!!" Lita cried happily as she carried the plant in its pot over to the corner.

Nephrite helped her dig a big enough whole. Then Lita put the plant in it, and started covering its roots with dirt.

While she worked she asked Nephrite questions about how to take care of a Weeping Willow.

Nephrite answered in a normal excited voice like she's always heard from him, but her back was to him so she never saw him take out his dagger.

She never saw it coming.

She fell to the ground beside the newly planted Weeping Willow, its branches softly brushing her face.

Her blood mixed with the dirt that covered the trees roots, turning the dirt to a muddy reddish brown color.

Nephrite looked up at the Earth, and his eyes were black as coal.

"Ready? Set? Go!" Rei cried.

Rei and Jedite both stared at their hands making fire form flowers.

Rei won the match when hers was completed first.

"You may have won, but I can do you one better!" Jedite said challengingly.

He stared at the single rose of fire in his palm, and then plucked it from his hand.

The stem of fire came to a point like as if it had been snipped by sheers. The petals fully opened out. The two big leaves were slightly curled under.

"An everlasting Fire Rose." Jedite proclaimed as he presented it to Rei.

Rei's bouquet of fire flowers disappeared as she gently took the Fire Rose by its stem.

"It's beautiful!" She said softly.

"It'll last forever, and it won't set anything a flame, so you can put it in a vase. Also, other people cannot touch it, only you, for it was meant for only you." Jedite explained with his hands behind his back.

Rei was so happy she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly.

Her eyes were closed the entire time, so she never saw the dagger come swinging down. She only felt it pierce her back, straight to her heart.

Her eyes flew open, and in her final moments, she looked at Jedite and spoke a single word.

"Why?"

The last thing she saw was Jedite's eyes go dark, and then she fell to the hard stone floor of her Fire Room.

The Everlasting Fire Rose fell out of her hand and rolled gently across the floor, but it didn't go out.

The Great Fire in the pit in the center of the room did go out, for it's caretaker, protector, reader, and soul was extinguished.

"Kunzite, they're beautiful!!! Even more beautiful than the last set you gave me!" Mina cried happily as she opened the little wooden box.

Kunzite smiled happily at her.

"Would you like me to put your clip on?" He asked.

"Sure!" Mina exclaimed happily.

She turned around on the bench to where her hair was facing Kunzite.

They were sitting on the benches inside the gazebo in the middle of the maze.

Mina sat on one side of Kunzite, so Kunzite placed the box open on the other side of him, and started brushing her hair softly with the brush.

Mina sat there with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of Kunzite's gentle fingers roaming through her hair.

When Kunzite closed the flower clasp, Mina opened her eyes.

She turned around to hug Kunzite.

Kunzite had been aiming for her back, but she had moved around too fast and so his dagger struck her in the chest, but not directly in her heart.

She slumped against him, staring up at him with wide blue eyes, in her final moments trying to figure out what was wrong.

Kunzite's eyes went black and he looked up toward the ceiling of the gazebo.

All four generals heard Queen Beryl's voice.

'_Perfect. You have done well. Now, finish what you started. Release yourselves.'_

All four generals raised their daggers high, and plunged them down toward their own hearts.

Three of the generals struck their targets and were dead instantly.

But just as Kunzite's dagger came close to his chest, Mina's hand came up and struck it.

She didn't have enough strength to knock it from his hand, so it still pierced his chest, but not his heart directly.

He did not die instantly.

Mina struggled to breath as she watched a mass of shadow pull itself out of Kunzite's eyes and mouth.

It flew up in the air and disappeared.

Though Mina didn't know it, the same happened to the three other generals as well.

Kunzite slumped back onto the bench with a cry of pain.

"What the—!" He cried as he saw the dagger in his chest, the blood on his hands.

He went to sit up, but noticed Mina lying on his chest just beside the dagger.

"Mina! What happened?" Kunzite cried as he held her up.

Mina looked at him now, not with anger in her eyes, only with deep sorrow, and love.

"I still, love you." She whispered with her last soft breath.

Then her eyes went dull, and she was gone.

Kunzite let his tears flow freely.

"What have I done?" He asked him self repeatedly as he held Mina close to him and rocked her gently.

He tried contacting the other generals, but realized they were dead when he felt an empty void on the other side of his mind links.

He tried to contact Endymion, but something was blocking him.

"If this hasn't happened to Endymion and Serena yet, I'm going to warn them!" Kunzite cried.

He pushed with his mind against the barrier with all his mental strength left to him, as his body weakened more.

'_Endymion!!!' _Kunzite cried as he finally felt Endymion's presence on the other side of the mind link.

'_Kunzite, what hap—Ah! What's wrong? You're in pain, why?' _Endymion asked as he stopped dancing with Serena, though he still held her hand.

Serena waited patiently, wondering what was wrong.

'_Endymion, we--, I've--.' _Kunzite tried to say.

Then he felt the barrier trying to push him out, so he tried harder to speak.

'They're dead, Endymion! They're all dead! We killed them! She made us kill them!'

Endymion's brow furrowed as he tried to understand what Kunzite was saying.

'_The scouts are dead! Beryl made us kill them! Then she made us kill ourselves, only Mina stopped me from killing myself completely before she died!' _Kunzite managed to explain fully.

"NO!" Endymion shouted with his voice, not just his mind.

Then he lost all contact with Kunzite.

Since Kunzite could no longer feel Endymion, he quit trying to speak to him.

He had said all he had needed to say anyway.

"We're not going to make it out of this battle alive." Kunzite admitted to Mina's motionless form. "Even if there is a chance of it, I don't want to make it out alive. Not if I don't have you beside me."

He quickly pulled the dagger from his chest, and plunged it in again.

This time he did not miss.

Back at the Time Gate, Beryl grinned.

"Go." She commanded, and the invasion began.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

"Serena, your Scouts! Contact them!" Endymion cried.

Serena shut her eyes and opened the link between her and her friends.

The pain hit her with so much force she stumbled back and would've fallen if not for Endymion's hand still holding hers.

All the Sailor Scouts pain, even if they felt it only briefly, had built up against the barrier that Serena had built. When Serena took the barrier down, the pain exploded upon her.

All the pain was gone in a split second, but an echo of it still remained deep within Serena's heart.

Serena looked up at Endymion with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They're dead." She muttered.

Queen Serenity had started walking swiftly toward her daughter when Serena had stumbled back holding a hand to her chest.

When Serena muttered those words, Serenity was close enough to hear them.

Serenity tried to contact the Outer Scouts as well, but only Neptune and Urnus answered.

Serenity turned to address the crowd as Neptune and Urnus made their way to her across the floor.

"Friends, please be calm. We need you all to return to the portals that will take you all home. Beryl is attacking again."

The crowed gasped.

Alan used his energy to summon his sword, while Ann got her energy ready to be summoned should she need it.

Sammy would have unsheathed his sword, but he hadn't bothered to bring one. He didn't think he'd need it, and he didn't have a magical dimension pouch to put it in.

Serenity continued.

"Those who wish to flee, please do so with all haste. Those who wish to fight, guards please arm them, but all know this. Only two Sailor Scouts will be here to fight with you. The others are no longer among us."

A deathly silence fell upon the crowed as they all moved in different directions.

Neptune and Urnas transformed and conferred with Serenity for a moment.

Then they left, as Serenity turned around to see Serena crying on Endymion's chest.

"Endymion." Serenity spoke, and Endymion looked at her. "You are the Earth's Prince, you should go back to Earth and gather your defenses."

"Is the Earth being attacked right now?" Endymion asked quietly.

Serenity conferred with the Crystal.

"No. Beryl has just started attacking the outer reaches of my Kingdom. She is so far ignoring your planet." Serenity informed him.

"Then my place is here, beside my fiancé." Endymion stated firmly, arms wrapped securely around Serena.

Serenity smiled sadly.

"Then I put her in your care. Protect her as best you can." She said.

The whole palace shook then, as a tremendous boom echoed through the air.

The candles and lanterns fell and broke, setting fire to the drapes, curtains, and tablecloths.

"Take her someplace safe to wait this out!" Serenity cried as she put most of the flames out with her power.

Endymion looked around and then gently, but quickly lead Serena up the staircase to the second floor.

"Where are we going?" Serena cried as she picked up her skirt and started running faster.

"To your room!" Endymion answered in a yell, as a piece of wall came flying across the hall and smashing into the other side of the corridor, barely missing them by inches. "You're mother put a protective spell around your room. So long as she lives, no attacks can get in, and even if the whole palace gets turned to ruins your room shall still be standing. It took a lot of power to put cast that spell, so only your room was done, so once you're in there, stay there okay?"

Serena hesitated and then answered.

"Okay!"

They reached her room and had just made it through the doors before the whole hall outside her room was blasted away, leaving dust and rocks falling all around the doors.

Once the dust and rocks settled, Endymion took a chance and leaned out far enough to see what was going on.

A big ball of dark energy had been hurled straight through the middle of the palace, cutting it in two. There was now no way for them to get out of her room, they were cut off.

Another boom crashed a little ways from her balcony.

Endymion stepped in front of Serena, holding his cape around her to shield her from the burning red light that flashed through the room. It was so bright that they could still see it though their eyelids were closed.

After a few minutes their eyes quit seeing red splotches of color, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they were still holding each other.

Abruptly the noise outside seemed to dim.

"Such a happy sight." A mocking voice said softly.

Endymion jerked his head up, and Serena twirled around to see Beryl standing in the doorway that once lead to a hall.

Endymion made a quick movement that put Serena behind him.

Out of his own dimension pouch, Endymion withdrew his sword.

"You're probably wondering how I'm able to be here. Well, though attacks cannot destroy this room, nobody cast a spell that stops an enemy from just walking in. It's amazing what simple little things one misses when they're trying to protect another." Beryl laughed as she walked a few steps into the room.

Endymion slowly moved Serena back.

Beryl studied them for a moment.

"It's only the Princess I'm after, you Prince Endymion can go. If you hand her over I'll leave your planet alone. It's the Moon Kingdom I've wanted all along anyway." Beryl said softly, her red eyes staring straight into Endymion's deep blue ones.

Serena rested her head against Endymion's back, using the Crystal to channel all her love straight into Endymion.

With all of Serena's love streaming into him, Endymion's resolve strengthened. He held his sword up high, and snarled at Beryl.

"Oh, well, it was just a suggestion anyway." Beryl said lightly as she flicked her hand at them.

Dozens of large ice shards flew at them.

Endymion pushed Serena out of their way, and they pierced the wall of her room instead.

Serena flung her hand at the doors to her balcony and she pulled Endymion through them. The Crystal shut the doors behind them, and they crouched down on one side of the doors.

They saw Beryl appear floating over the edge of the balcony.

She laughed as she landed lightly on the floor.

"Doors, ha! They can't stop me, but I think you knew that already." She said mockingly. "Why don't you give up now? Look around! The Moon Kingdom is in total ruins! All the Sailor Scouts of this Kingdom are dead, including Neptune and Urnus now. Queen Serenity is holding her own, but how long will that last? All the civilians are dead. They say a Kingdom is only a Kingdom if its people make it so. Its people are dead, this Kingdom is no more. If you continue to resist, I'm just going to kill you off the hard way. If you give in, I'll make it quick and hopefully painless, I mean I wouldn't know how painful dying is, I've never dead."

"But I have, five times over." Serena told her angrily, referring to the pain her friends had felt as they died.

"To me that's wonderful news!" Beryl smiled evilly at her.

Endymion withdrew four roses from his cape and flung them like darts at Beryl.

Beryl tried to fling them away, but she was too slow.

She cried out in pain as they pierced her skin, but none managed to pierce her heart.

"Now this annoys me so much!" Beryl stated in a snarl as she ripped them out, her skin quickly healing the wounds.

Beryl flung both her hands at them, and even bigger ice shards rained down at them.

On one side of them was the railing, on the other the wall, they couldn't move to the left or right.

So Endymion flung his arms wide and prepared to take them to protect Serena.

Serena realized what he was doing, and thrust her arms over his shoulders, one on either side of his neck. She opened her hands palms out, and a big white barrier erupted in front of them.

The ice shards shattered as they hit it.

As the last one shattered, the shield went down, and Serena slumped against Endymion's back.

"I can't do that again." Serena muttered to Endymion as she tried to get her breath back.

"You don't have to. I'll protect you this time." Endymion muttered back.

"Endy . . ." Serena said softly, but Beryl had already let lose another ice shard attack.

"NO!" Serena cried as the shards hit Endymion in the chest.

He fell back against her, pinning her between him and the railing.

She managed to crawl out from underneath him.

She ignored Beryl as she raised Endymion's head onto her lap.

Her tears splashed gently upon his face as she carefully removed his light gray mask that had once been pure white.

"Endy." She whispered to him.

He opened his eyes once, staring at her, but not seeing her.

"Sere—" He started to mutter, but he never finished.

His eyes closed, and his head fell to fell to one side.

"No." Serena whispered repeatedly as she held his head to her chest, washing his hair with her tears, and rocking him gently back and forth.

"Well, this is even better than I imagined!" Beryl snickered. "So far I've killed off everybody you love dearly, except your mother of course. Don't worry though; I'm off to kill her now. Then I'll come back for you once you've had a chance to feel the pain of everyone that you hold dear being dead."

Beryl disappeared in a flash of red light.

Serena opened her eyes and stared unseeingly at the floor of the balcony.

Everyone, the Inner Scouts, the Outer Scouts, Kenji, Ikoku, Sammy, now Endymion, everyone was dead except for her mother.

She still held hope that her mother would defeat Beryl. She knew that the Crystal still had enough power to do that.

Her mother may yet survive, but would she be able to live her life while everyone she knew was dead?

Serena knew that she herself wouldn't be able to. The pain was too much to bear already.

She gently laid down Endymion's head, and stretched herself out beside him.

She gently tapped into the Crystal's power long enough to summon herself a dagger of her own. Its silver blade glinted in the red light of all the fire that burned around her balcony, it's gold hilt felt cold in her hands.

"I hope you destroy her this time mother." Serena whispered as she rested the point of the dagger in the middle of her chest, right above her heart. "For the people of Earth who are still living, and for those of us who aren't."

She took one last look at Endymion's peaceful looking face, and pushed the dagger in.

She never cried out in pain.

Her last breath flew from her mouth, as she slumped onto Endymion's chest, her left hand laying gently in his opened one.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

LadyPrin

Disclaimer Applies.

Final Chapter

Serenity felt her daughter's life flicker out of existence, and she started crying.

She had known that this would happen. She had known from the very moment that she had found out that the Scouts were dead, that this would happen.

This was the big battle where Good had to lose to Evil. Where a big sacrifice on the Good side had to be made in order to balance out the scales.

Summoning strength from her sorrow and anger and the Crystal, Serenity wiped out all of the monsters on the face of the Moon.

Beryl wasn't worried though. She had plenty more where those came from.

But then Serenity did something unexpected.

The Crystal was the source of power for the atmosphere. The Crystal was what made the atmosphere here on the Moon, which was what made it possible for living beings to live there.

Serenity made the Crystal shrink the atmosphere to just a medium sized bubble around herself.

Beryl had to quickly make an air bubble around her in order to stay alive as the cold vacuum of space pushed in upon the Moon's surface, putting out the fires, pushing over more ruins, killing off plants, drying the lake, and spreading dust everywhere.

Beryl couldn't see where Serenity was for all the dust hid her from Beryl's view, but Beryl was patient.

She waited.

Serenity leaned back on a fallen pillar, catching her breath.

She raised her hand and looked at her Crescent Moon wand. The Impearium Silver Crystal glittered in its place on the inner bottom of the Crescent Moon.

"You're Majesty!" Two voices cried to her.

She looked around and saw Luna and Artemis running toward her through the dust.

They both were in their human forms, Luna her long black hair flying about her, Artemis his short blond hair all messed up.

They came to her side and their personal atmospheres joined with hers.

"My Lady!" Luna cried as she knelt beside the pillar.

"Luna, Artemis! I'm so glad to see you two!" Serenity exclaimed.

"My Lady, everyone is dead!" Luna cried as tears spilled from her eyes.

"I know." Serenity assured her. "But there may still be hope, since you two are here. I have enough energy left to do one last thing."

Luna and Artemis stared at her for a moment and then glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"But you're Highness, you'll die!" Luna cried.

"Yes, but all my precious Moon Children will live, so I don't mind." Serenity replied. "You know what is required of you right?"

"Yes." Luna and Artemis replied in union for Serenity had discussed this plan with them once soon after the last battle with Beryl.

Luna and Artemis backed up and transformed back into their cat selves.

They silently watched as Serenity gently pulled the Crystal off the wand. Serenity let go as the wand hung in the air, disappearing in little sparkles. When it was gone, Serenity held the Impearium Silver Crystal up in the air and let go. It hung there for a moment suspended, and then suddenly it was encased in a pink broach that had the marks of the Moon, and four inner planets.

Serenity held the broach in both her hands for a moment.

"You know what to do after I've finished right?" She asked them.

"Yes." Luna and Artemis responded.

Serenity closed her eyes, and combined the last of her energy and power to the Crystal's power.

A blind white light enveloped the whole Moon Kingdom, and bodies started rising up from the rubble, all surrounded in their own little bubble of air.

_'Pluto, I know you're still alive, and can hear me. Please, help me one last time.' _Serenity pleaded.

Pluto opened her eyes halfway to see that she was surrounded by hundreds of monsters. They were ignoring her, because they all thought her dead.

After she did what she was planning on doing, she would be.

She had used the Granite Orb to focus all her power on the Time Gate, because if she focused all her raw power on the Gate without something for it to channel through first, the Time Gate could be destroyed, or the travelers might come out in the wrong place, or they might come out in the right place just not with all the right body parts. Now matter what the outcome might be though, she knew that after using all her raw power like that, she would die.

But the Granite Orb was shattered; she had no choice.

She drew all her power together within herself, which attracted the attention of the monsters, but before they could do anything, she flung her power at the door.

The symbols all moved across the doors with more speed than ever before.

The planet symbol stopped on Earth, the Time Destination symbol stopped too, but Pluto couldn't see on what because a monster had blocked her vision.

With the last of her power, Pluto moved the Time Gate.

It disappeared from her view and hopefully reappeared beside Serenity.

'_Thank you, dear friend!' _Serenity whispered in Pluto's mind, confirming the arrival of the Gate.

Pluto smiled one last time.

A monster moved to strike a final blow, but Pluto the Guardian of Space and Time was already dead.

Serenity used the Crystal's power to move the Time Gate up high above her.

She maneuvered all the Moon Children straight through it.

Beryl tried to stop her, but the Crystal kept flinging her further away each time she got too close.

Serenity even reached out to Pluto and Saturn, encased them within their own air bubbles, and sent them through the door.

"Hurry!" Serenity cried to the cats.

The cats ran at her and jumped as if to jump up on her chest.

The Crystal quickly encased them in their own air bubbles, but since they weren't dead, they could still move around.

Serenity held both bubbles for a moment.

Then she pushed them up toward the Gate, pushing the Crystal's broach into Luna's bubble where it disappeared inside Luna's dimensional pouch.

The bubbles speeded up and went through the Gate, which closed behind them with a final snap, and then disappeared itself.

As the bubbles left Serenity's personal atmosphere, she collapsed against the pillar.

Her last breath left her as her atmosphere shrank away.

The last thing she saw was the Earth hanging peacefully in the starry sky of space.

Beryl was really angry by now, but she was not ready to accept defeat.

"I cannot let the Princess regain the Crystal! It will ruin EVERYTHING!!!" She screamed to the now lifeless moon. "Luckily for me though, I saw the coordinates for where they went. Mettalia will help me follow them. I will see the last of the Serenity's dead!!!"

Then she too disappeared.

Years after years passed.

Layers of moon dust and space dust collected upon the ruins of the old Silver Millennium Moon Kingdom, covering it completely. Soon there was no sign that life ever existed on that rock.

The Earth meanwhile prospered, though all memory of the Moon Kingdom, Sailor Scouts, Prince of the Earth, and Magic died out.

After a thousand years of calm prosperity, scientists saw what they thought was a meteor shower, but in reality it was something much more.

The Time Gate opened up in the space above the moon's gravity pull.

Thousands upon thousands of the Moon Children came through the Gate, still in their bubbles, for them it only having been a minute since they left the Moon Kingdom.

They all fell toward Earth and then disappeared in flashes of light.

The Time Gate disappeared after Luna and Artemis came out.

Scientists think that the 'meteors' burned up in the atmosphere, but really the Moon Children were on their way to being reborn as Earth Children, having no memory of their lives before.

Fourteen years after they are reborn, Beryl will enter their time.

Luna and Artemis shall remember, and though their memories shall be sketchy, they will start searching for the Sailor Scouts and Moon Princess.

Artemis will be the first to find one. Sailor Venus will fight for a while in London as Sailor V, but when Artemis gets word from Luna that she's found another Sailor Scout in Tokyo, Sailor V will leave England and go to Tokyo to rejoin the group.

Though Luna will find Serena first, she will not remember that Serena is the Princess, nor will Serena remember.

Soon all the Inner Scouts, and Prince Endymion shall be reunited, and the Princess shall be revealed, and Beryl shall be destroyed once and for all.

But what happened to Alan and Ann? They died on the Moon and so they were reborn with the others, but not on Earth as human beings. The Time Gate dropped them off back at their own home planet, to be reborn with the Tree of Life. The royal line had been broken when Alan and Ann had died, so they are only civilians now.

But when Queen Beryl came into the future, the evilness she carried with her spread to Alan and Ann's home planet, and destroyed it.

Alan and Ann were the only survivors. They escaped with the Tree of Life, but the Tree was poisoned with evil already, and so Alan and Ann were poisoned to.

And though Alan and Ann's actions were evil, they were just trying to survive.

Serena as the Sailor Scout Sailor Moon shall use her love and power to purge the Tree of all the evilness within it, and so purge Alan and Ann of the evil within them.

Though none of them were ever to remember their first meeting over a thousand years ago, from that moment on they shall remember each other.

Now you might be asking what became of Sailor Galaxia? What was her punishment for tipping the balance of the Scales when it wasn't time to be tipped?

She eventually had to seal away Chaos itself inside of her, to save all the universes.

She suffered for years as Chaos ate away at her, and eventually took control.

She came to Earth chasing anther Princess, but that Princess's Sailor Scouts known as the Starlight's would team up with Princess Serenity in the end.

Using her power of Love and Forgiveness, Princess Serenity would release Sailor Galaxia from Chaos, and in doing so free her of her punishment.

Sailor Galaxia, having been through so much, would not remember why that punishment had befallen her, but she would go back to guarding the Galaxian Cauldron after reversing the destruction she had caused on many planets.

Eventually in time, the balance will naturally, permanently tip in the favor of Goodness.

Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion will finally marry, and take up the thrones of the new Neo Crystal Tokyo, as Neo Queen Serenity and Neo King Endymion.

And though evil will never fully be wiped out, and will never stop fighting for a handhold on what it considers to be rightfully theirs, the Light of Goodness shall never fade.

Neo Queen Serenity, Neo King Endymion, and all of the Neo Scouts descendents will make sure of that.

And should you ever get the chance to go to the Moon, perhaps you will be lucky enough to find the Everlasting Fire Rose that still burns bright underneath the dust and ruins to this day.

It is because of the Fire Rose that we sometimes see the Moon as gold colored, because every now and then, it blazes bright enough to warm the Moon when love on Earth is overflowing.

The End

It's been great writing this story! I've loved doing it! Thanks to all who reviewed, especially to those who stuck with me while I was banned from the site, and received the chapters by email.

This is probably the last Fan Fiction I'll be doing for a while, as I have books of my own in the process of being made. I want to devote my time to those in the hopes that at least one of them will be published one day. Wish me luck please!

You may find me every now and then on this site, if I have a Sailor Moon or other anime poem to post.

Please feel free to check out my other stories and poems that I've already posted!

Once again, thank you all!

LadyPrin


End file.
